What others say about us is the second of the three major ways our beliefs are shaped. Oftentimes in life, we take on what others say we can or cannot do as fact and weave their statements into our personal identity.

How Others Shaped My Beliefs

My first memory of  someone saying something to me that affected my personal identity took place when I was eleven years old and in the 6th grade.

I had never ran a race before in my life – until one day in P.E. class, the teacher made my class race 10 laps around the football field (one mile). I noticed after six laps that I was in the Top 10 and immediately turned it up a notch so that I could hopefully reach first place…

I ended up in 2nd place which I was pretty darn proud of considering it was my very first race. I couldn’t wait to share the news with my favorite hero (also know as my mom)!

Right after I told her she said, “Wow, that’s great because we’re not good runners at all!”

She was referring to my family which meant to me that I, Matt Morris, was also not a good runner. In my childhood, I never gotten anywhere close to second place in a race again.

Now I look back and see that there was no basis for the fact that because our family had been bad at running that I somehow had to be bad at running, too. (Especially since I place second out of my entire P.E. class during my very first race!)

However, since someone I loved and admired greatly made a single statement, I accepted that statement as a belief for myself.

What to Do With Beliefs Created by Others

We’ve all heard someone say something negative about our abilities in the past which is something we can’t change. What we can change though, is whether or not we accept those dis-empowering statements.

Decide today that you won’t allow anyone in your life to say dis-empowering statements about you and let go of any dis-empowering statements you previously accepted.

Correct anyone who says something that dis-empowers you by responding with “Please don’t ever say that to me again.” If they choose not to accept your wishes, then by all means separate yourself as much as possible.

Only give the gift of your precious time to people who celebrate you. I promise it’ll make a difference in your self-identity and beliefs!

What did you learn from this episode of The Unemployed Millionaire: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Lifestyle Freedom? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section!

P.S. Leaders… This is for you!

The people you are leading look to you – consciously and unconsciously – for an idea of how successful they’ll become. If you empower the people you lead to achieve greatness, 9 times out of 10 they’ll surpass the expectations you set for them!

P.P.S. Want More?

Check out the last episode and learn how experiences shape our beliefs here: The Unemployed Millionaire Show: Episode 13.

For more information on beliefs and how they’re shaped by what others say about us, order your copy of The Unemployed Millionaire here: http://www.MattMorris.com/book