Core beliefs are what we believe to be true about ourselves, other people, and the world. They are what we live our lives by. Some core beliefs have been with us for so long that we don’t even realize we have them.
Core beliefs can be positive or negative and some negative beliefs are not all bad–they can protect us from genuine threats. However, our strongest and most ingrained core beliefs usually come from childhood, which means they are often outdated.
Here are 5 core beliefs that will usually make you an ideal employee:
“I have to do everything myself.”
“I have to do everything perfectly.”
“I should be able to cope with anything.”
“Everything is my responsibility.”
“Other people’s needs, wants, comfort, and emotions are more important than mine.”
If you live according to these beliefs, you’ll most likely show up as a great employee. You’ll be responsible, reliable, conscientious, and thoughtful. You’ll also take initiative, not blame others when things don’t go well, and you’ll rarely make careless mistakes.
But, you’ll also end up taking on more than you can handle, ignoring your own needs, and feeling terrible when you can’t live up to the impossible standard you’ve set for yourself. Especially when combined with a dysfunctional or toxic work environment, these beliefs can easily lead to burnout.
Logically, you might know that these beliefs aren’t 100% true but deep inside you probably still feel there is some truth to them–or that these beliefs may not be true for everyone else in the world but they somehow still apply to you.
You might be afraid that if you stop believing these things that you won’t be able to do your job at the same level anymore. The difficult reality is that you probably do need to adjust the way you work and that not addressing these core beliefs can lead to huge costs to your personal life and mental health.
If you struggle with these kinds of core beliefs, you can start addressing them with these steps:
- Have curiosity about where they came from. Did you develop these beliefs at a time when they were helpful or kept you safe somehow?
- Ask yourself if your beliefs are really still true, helpful, or worth believing. What are the positive and negative effects of continuing to believe them?
- If your core beliefs are no longer true or helpful, try updating them. Avoid absolutes–for example, instead of “I have to do everything myself”, try “It’s okay to ask for help when I need it”. Notice what happens to your stress levels when you try out different core beliefs.
If you want help changing outdated core beliefs, reach out for a free consultation!
Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash
