"Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny."
This quote, often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, clarifies the perspective shift that enabled radical personal transformation.
I like to imagine each word as a domino, lined up in a row. Knock down the first one, and the rest follow.
Many spiritual teachings offer conflicting advice - that the path to inner peace starts with calming the mind. Applying my metaphor to this perspective, the second domino is used to start the chain of events: change our thoughts (meditation), words (affirmations), actions (yoga, etc.), habits (practice and repetition), values (prayer and intentions), and ultimately, our destiny (manifestation).
Before my awakening, I knew very little about spiritual practices. I had spent years coping with life’s darker days the only way I knew how - think positive thoughts, keep my chin up and "just be happy." Was it doable? Sure. Did it help a little? Yes. But walking this path became more difficult over time, which left me feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and hopeless. It was as if I was pushing a boulder uphill. There was no staying power, and despite my best efforts, the boulder always seemed to roll back down the hill.
When I found Gandhi’s quote, it was clear that I had been trying to change my dark thoughts without addressing the negative belief driving them. If I wanted to change this chain of events, I needed to look at the first domino.
Prior to my shift, when I was first learning about the self-healing steps that saved my life, part of the process was so daunting that I resisted it for months. Step 2 asked me to examine my core beliefs. It challenged me to consider that I might be contributing to my own pain by believing I was unworthy, unlovable or somehow less than whole.
The suggestion that I might be causing my own suffering, at a time when I was so close to self-destruction, nearly sent me over the edge. It was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. But accepting this radical perspective was less painful than the despair itself, so I stayed with the idea. I began to look at the beliefs I had carried for most of my life and question whether or not they were actually true.
This wasn't about blaming myself for what had happened to me. Nor is it about dismissing the value of meditation, therapy, medication, or other forms of support. Sometimes support is needed to keep us safe and give us the stability upon which to explore what lies beneath our pain.
The problem wasn't that I needed to become more positive, more worthy or more deserving of love. The belief that I didn't matter was simply a mistake. Love isn't something I need to earn, find or become worthy of. It is who I am.
Changing a core belief isn't simply a matter of replacing a negative thought with a positive affirmation. On its own, that would only scratch the surface. For me, the inner work involved much more than choosing to believe I am Love. It meant looking honestly at the way I saw myself, questioning deeply held beliefs, and gradually changing my understanding of who I am at a soul level.
Sometimes the most important work isn't changing the thoughts running through our minds. It's questioning the belief that gives those thoughts their power.
Perhaps you've spent years believing that you're not enough, that you don't belong, or that you don't matter.
What if those beliefs aren't true?
Perhaps it's time to look at the first domino. 😉
D 🩵
