The Power of Belief — ‘Tis the Season

I was nine years old when I learned the truth about Santa Claus.

With an older sister who loved to shatter my world, I’m surprised I didn’t hear about it sooner. Learning the truth was heartbreaking, and it took me weeks to buy into the reality. I just wasn’t ready to have my belief destroyed.

At that time I had neither the skills nor the awakening to understand the power of beliefs or how to make my beliefs work to my advantage, much less how to stand tall in my beliefs regardless of what others thought.

Fast forward nearly 60 years and I’m back to believing …. perhaps not in Santa or the tooth fairy but definitely in who I am, imperfect but still working on life.

Looking into the future through the eyes of youth and even middle age, I didn’t believe happiness could be possible unless I was married with a loving family and enough resources to lighten my financial load. As I’ve aged, however, I’ve discovered that our later years truly can be rewarding, fun, joyous and fulfilling with much less as we cultivate and  maintain strong relationships with others.

Today, my belief system stems from faith and experience. Among other things, I believe there doesn’t have to be a downhill slide in aging. Sure, there are not-so-fun times but everyone experiences those, regardless of age. And yes, as we age we’re more likely to experience body limitations which change the way we experience satisfaction.

If you don’t believe in who you are and what you stand for, no one else will.

If you believe in yourself when others don’t, if you believe you can heal where others haven’t, or even  if you continue to believe in Santa, long after a friend or sib has told you differently, you will emerge stronger and more grounded in your own identity.

If you go around lacking strength in the perfection that you are at this very moment and always, others will discount you too! In this manner, your belief system is directly related to your happiness and well-being. Self-confident in the belief that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be doesn’t allow for others to interfere with or judge your life. Let others create and manifest their beliefs while you work on yours.

If you have difficulty reinforcing your beliefs, the following techniques can aid in reminding you of how simple it can be:

• Visualize – picture yourself in the place (physical and mental) you want to be. Check out Louise Hay online for some tips.
• Affirm – reinforce your beliefs by creating statements that remind you of your beliefs and then post those statements in places you see daily.
• Act “as if” – the statement “fake it ‘til you make it” is a truism. If I’m afraid but want to be confident, I act with confidence … until it’s second nature.

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Don’t forget all of these techniques work best with actions behind them. If you are visualizing and affirming a healthier and slimmer body, the actions of eating healthy and doing a little regular exercise will support that belief.

What do you believe?

What I believe may not be what you believe. We’re asked every day to make choices about what we’ll put our faith in and what we won’t. One of the great glories of life is that those choices belong to us … unconditionally.

I choose to believe that this time of my life is really good and blessed and bountiful. I believe I receive what I give, and I have much to give in terms of love, friendship, time and energy.

Lots of people are waiting for you to show them its okay to believe that our later years can be enriching ones. One purpose of “The Joy of Aging Gratefully” blog is to encourage positive beliefs about getting older.

What about you? ‘Tis the season to believe again. Santa is waiting.

Belief is at the core of all action and is the one anchoring stitch in the quilt of my life.
~ Antonia

Contact me at Antonia@TheJoyofAgingGratefully.com