“Never solve a problem from its original perspective.”
Charles Thompson
By Adam Sicinski
Beliefs are conditioned perceptions that are built upon old memories of pain and pleasure. These memories are based on how we have interpreted and emotionalized our experiences over time
Framing is a mental structure that is built upon the beliefs you have about yourself, your roles, your circumstances, and about other people. In other words, the meaning you assign to any event is dependent upon how you frame it in your mind. As such, your frames shape how you see the world, how you see yourself, how you view others, and how you interpret your life.
Frames can be of a positive or of a negative nature; they can also be within your control or out of your control. As such, they are either helpful within the context you are using them, or they are unhelpful. They either expand your opportunities and the possibilities of the situation, or they limit your options moving forward. They are therefore appropriate or inappropriate, good or bad depending on the objectives you have in mind.
Types of Frames
You might typically use several unhelpful frames of reference throughout the day. These frames of reference come in the form of your limiting beliefs and unhelpful thoughts.
Limiting Beliefs Frames
A limiting belief is a state of mind, conviction or belief that you think to be true that limits you in some way. This limiting belief could be about you, your interactions with other people, or with the world and how it works.
Limiting beliefs can have a number of negative effects on you. They could keep you from making good choices, taking new opportunities, or reaching your potential. Ultimately, limiting beliefs can keep you stuck in a negative state of mind and hinder you from living the life you truly desire.
Before moving on, it might also be helpful to identify how these limiting beliefs found their way into your life. Ask yourself:
• How did I come to form this particular limiting belief?
• What has made me hold onto this belief for so long?
• What kind of references supports this limiting belief?
• What knowledge supports this belief?
• What life experiences support this belief?
Unhelpful Thoughts Framing
Unhelpful thinking styles are built upon automatic habitual patterns that you pick-up over a lifetime. These thinking styles become rather problematic when you consider the fact that they direct your behavior at an unconscious level of awareness. Therefore if you’re in the habit of using some of these unhelpful thinking styles on a consistent basis, then you can be assured that you are not living up to your full potential.
Principles of Reframing and How To Do It
There are a few principles to keep in mind when considering the reframing technique. It is critical that you know and accept these principles before you start actively trying to add reframing to your personal development toolkit. A reframe is far more effective when you understand what’s going on behind the thought. The first basic principle is that events or situations do not have inherent meaning; rather, you assign them a meaning based on how you interpret the event.
Additional Reading
The Power of Mental Discipline: A Practical Guide to Controlling Your Thoughts, Increasing Your Willpower and Achieving More by Ian Tuhovsky
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do: Take Back Your Power, Embrace Change, Face Your Fears, and Train Your Brain for Happiness and Success by Amy Morin
Points of Reflection
“The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
Albert Einstein
“It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.”
Anthony Robbins
“It’s all in your Mind. Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.”
Anonymous