THE DEFINITIVE LIST OF CORE BELIEFS

This article provides you with a list of core beliefs, both positive and negative, for each category of life. Once you have understood just what core beliefs are, how they are formed and how they run your life, you can turn to these core belief lists to start identifying your own beliefs. Just to recap, your core beliefs make up your personal belief system, which you use to navigate your life and that offers you a sense of consistency about who you believe you are and what life is all about. Your beliefs yield great influence on your life because what you think, feel and assume, as well as the actions that follow, are all coloured by your core beliefs. More specifically, your positive beliefs add to the overall positivity of your life while negative beliefs limit or deny it.

The Core Beliefs Series of Articles

This article is the second in a four-part series on core beliefs. The first article focuses on understanding core beliefs. This article lists common core beliefs, both positive and negative, in each area of life. The third article is aimed at identifying your own core beliefs, with the focus on the negative or limiting beliefs that you want to change. And the fourth and final article is on reprogramming your subconscious mind to change your limiting beliefs. I suggest you read all four articles in order before attempting to change your beliefs. It will be worth your effort.

The Subconscious Nature of Limiting Beliefs

It is important to remember that all beliefs are executed on auto-pilot by your subconscious mind with no need for your conscious input, awareness or agreement. This is both the incredible power and the Achilles' heel of the subconscious mind because while it carries out the most complex of tasks automatically, it is not rational and hence cannot distinguish between the beliefs that serve you and those that don't. It's up to you to make the subconscious conscious by identifying your core beliefs so that you can overcome and change those limiting beliefs that hold you back. The list of core beliefs that follows is aimed at helping you do just that.

Categorizing Life and Core Beliefs

Your life, although one single life, is made up of the sum of its parts where each part is an area or category of life. The areas I have chosen to focus on are the ones most people are interested in or 'run into trouble' with. Feel free to add your own or rename them.

#1 Self-Concept: Your self-concept includes those core beliefs about who you believe you are or else what you believe to be true about you without question.

#2 Health: Beliefs about what you believe to be true about your physical health and mental well-being. This includes what you believe about your body.

#3 Relationships: Beliefs about intimate relationships with your significant other and relationships in general, including beliefs about men and women in the context of relationships.

#4 Other People: Beliefs about people in general. People other than a life partner or significant other, including friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, your community and humanity overall.

#5 Money: Beliefs about money and finances both at a personal and broader level. In other words what you believe to be true about money and your relationship with it.

#6 Life in General: Beliefs about life as a broader concept. This is a fundamental category because these beliefs tend to be very broad and affect many areas of one's life at the same time.

Six Lists of Core Beliefs by Category

What follows are six lists of core beliefs; one for each of the aforementioned areas of life. By categorizing core beliefs in this way, you can more easily think of each area in your life and find the beliefs behind your circumstances. While the majority of beliefs on each list of core beliefs are negative or limiting, I have also included positive beliefs for contrast. Remember that positive beliefs can be bolstered and it is important to identify them because they go a long way in increasing your overall positivity by focussing on and remembering them. Having said this, it's the limiting beliefs you want to change by understanding, challenging and reprogramming them in time.

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#1 List of Core Beliefs on Self-Concept

Limiting Beliefs about Self-Concept: I am a failure. I am ugly. I am such an idiot. I am not good enough. I am selfish. I am a disappointment. I don't deserve love. I have to work hard for everything. I am stingy. I am not attractive enough. I have nothing to be proud of. I am a coward. I am unlucky. I am irresponsible. I am a bad person. I am naive. I am boring. I am such a loser.

Positive Beliefs about Self-Concept: I am loving. I am gorgeous. I am intelligent. I am proud of myself. I trust myself. I deserve the best. I am generous. I love who I am. I am lucky. I am confident. I am a good person. I am inspirational.

#2 List of Core Beliefs on Health

Limiting Beliefs about Health: I always have health problems. I am fat. I can never stick to healthy eating. Losing weight is difficult. I have an addictive personality. Exercise is boring. I am unfit. I am an anxious person. I am a pessimist. I just can't relax. I am always depressed. It is difficult to be healthy. It is just easier to be unhealthy. I hate my body.

Positive Beliefs about Health: I am healthy. I love exercising. I always have enough energy. I am optimistic. I enjoy taking care of myself. I love my body.

#3 List of Core Beliefs on Relationships

Limiting Beliefs about Relationships: Relationships are difficult. I am useless in relationships. The person I'm interested in is never interested in me. My relationships always end. Good relationships are hard to find. Being in a relationship is stressful. It's just easier to be single. I always mess up my relationships. I am unlucky in love. Men are unfaithful. Men are only interested in looks/sex. Men can't be trusted. A good man is hard to find. Women are clingy. Women are overly emotional. Women are gold-diggers. A good woman is hard to find.

Positive Beliefs about Relationships: Being in a relationship is fun. I am lucky in love. I am blessed in my relationships. Whenever I desire someone, they desire me too. I feel so loved and appreciated in my relationships. Trust comes naturally to me.

#4 List of Core Beliefs on Other People

Limiting Beliefs about Other People: It's hard for me to make friends. People can't be trusted. Human beings are mostly evil. People don't tend to like me much. No one cares about me. My family is dysfunctional. People are manipulative. People are fake. Other people are better than me. Other people are jealous of me.

Positive Beliefs about Other People: I enjoy making new friends. Human beings are mostly good. People tend to be attracted to me. I always attract good people in my life.

#5 List of Core Beliefs on Money

Limiting Beliefs about Money: I am bad with money. I never have enough money. It is difficult for me to make lots of money. If I had enough money I'd be happy. Money is the root of all evil. Money is the only route to happiness. You can't make lots of money if you are honest. Poor people are better than rich people. There's not enough money for everyone.

Positive Beliefs about Money: I am good with money. I enjoy looking after my finances. I always have enough money. Money is a useful tool for me to do what I enjoy. I am generous with my money. Money just seems to be attracted to me.

#6 List of Core Beliefs on Life in General

Limiting Beliefs about Life: Life is unfair. Life is a constant struggle. Life is difficult. Life is meant to be difficult. Life is not to be trusted. Life is boring. There's never enough time. Life is pointless. Life is disappointing. Life never goes my way. Life is filled with sadness more than happiness. Bad things always happen to good people. Bad things come in threes. I have to be in control or something bad will happen. Change is bad. If I relax something bad will happen. Good things only happen to other people. If I care about someone I must worry about them.

Positive Beliefs about Life: Life is fun. Life is always kind to me. I am blessed to have a good life. I always trust life to turn out well. Life is good. I enjoy living life to the fullest. I am lucky in life. I always look for the good in life. I love life.

IN A NUTSHELL

Written by Tania Kotsos — Published on 24 FEB 2021

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