The Power of Beliefs and Values: A Guide for Teachers

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1 The Power of Beliefs and Values: A Guide for Teachers James Woodworth MEd James is an FE teacher, trainer, mentor and coach engaged primarily in teacher education. He is also an NLP practitioner. In March, 2012, James delivered a Webinar for Classroom Experts entitles Teaching Penguins to Fly: Unlocking Potential with NLP. In this report, James discusses the influence our beliefs and values have on the way we see ourselves and the world us. Most of us have positive, empowering believes that motivate us and give us confidence, however, many of us also have limiting beliefs that hold us back preventing us from achieving our true potential. As teachers, we may hold limiting beliefs about our ability to manage challenging behaviour for example, or we may doubt our chances of gaining promotion. The report explores the basis of limiting beliefs and includes some practical activities to challenge and change them. James is willing to discuss NLP and its application to teaching and learning to individuals and groups. He can be contacted by jwoodworth@camre.ac.uk 1

2 Introduction 1. The Language of Beliefs and Values 2. Changing Values and Beliefs 3. Limiting Beliefs 4. Choosing Beliefs 5. Change a Limiting Belief Conclusion Reference Your beliefs become your thoughts Your thoughts become your words Your words become your actions Your actions become your habits Your habits become your values Your values become your destiny Mahatma Gandhi 2

3 Introduction We all have certain beliefs and values. I may belief, for example, that I am good at painting and drawing but not so good at team sports. I may value friendship, leisure time and the need to care for the environment and not value the need to invest in stock and shares. What I believe and value may, of course be different to what you believe and value. What s more, I may think that what I believe and value is in some way true. However, we need to bear in mind, at all times that the beliefs and values we hold are not necessarily the truth but are in fact filters through which we, as individuals experience the world. Each and every one of us experiences the world differently, hence the differences that exists in people s beliefs and values. Nevertheless, despite these differences our beliefs and values remain very important to us, they colour our world giving it meaning and purpose. They are also hugely motivational. Our values and beliefs give us energy, enthusiasm and commitment. We tend to move towards the things we value and care about and move away from the things that don t mean that much to us. Just think about how hard it can be to commit yourself to doing something you have no real interest in it s hard isn t it? Now think about something you really enjoy doing it s much easier to motivate yourself to do this thing isn t it? 3

4 Beliefs are also incredibly powerful. We are more likely to achieve something if we believe we can achieve it. One of the best examples of this is the story of the British athlete Roger Bannister, who in May, 1954, became the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes. Many people at this time thought such a feat impossible but not Roger Bannister. Why was he the first to achieve something that most people thought impossible? Maybe it was because he believed he was capable of being the first to run a sub-four minute mile! Such is the power of belief. One of the most convincing examples of the power of belief is the phenomena known as the placebo effect. A placebo is a substance which has no medicinal properties as such but is given to a patient by a medical professional who informs the patient that the substance will improve their condition. The patient believes both in the confidence of the medical practitioner and in the substance they are given, and it is this belief, not the product itself that enables the patient to recover. Simply believing the substance will work is all that is needed for it to work. The same is true when it comes to experiences of the supernatural. People who believe in ghosts are far more to report seeing a ghost than are sceptics. 4

5 1. The Language of Beliefs and Values Whether you believe you can, or believe you can t either way you re right Henry Ford The language we use often reveals our beliefs and values. Statements such as I can and I can t give a clear indication of a person s beliefs. The same can also be said about the statements people make about their experience of the world. These statements can often seem dogmatic and inflexible. They reflect a black and white way of thinking that can seem biased and judgemental. Words such as right, wrong, should, shouldn t, good, bad, are representative of a person s beliefs and values. It is so easy to use these words not only in relation to ourselves but in relation to those around us. But why do we think like this? Where do your beliefs and values come from? Significant experiences during the formative years of life can have a huge influence of our beliefs both limiting and empowering. Much of what we grow up believing in terms of what we think we can and cannot do is the result of the feedback we receive from those who are close to us. We may be told we are clumsy or unreliable or that we will never amount to much or we may be told we are kind, patient and loving. 5

6 Feedback from others has a huge impact on the way we see ourselves. We also learn and develop through either copying or modelling the attitudes and behaviour of those who mean a great to us including close friends, significant family members, and of course, teachers. Copying and modelling others accounts for the development of many of our core values and beliefs. These values and beliefs develop both consciously and unconsciously. In addition to feedback and modelling we have socialisation the relationships throughout our lives also have a huge impact on the development of our core values and beliefs. 6

7 2. Changing Values and Beliefs If your mind can conceive it, and your heart can believe it, you can achieve it. Jesse Jackson Values and beliefs are not fixed although they often appear to be so. Somebody will state with absolute certainty that they cannot do something such as I can t dance, I can t draw, I m rubbish at math, I will never be able to control my temper, and so on. Our beliefs can be so deeply entrenched that they can be very difficult to shift but we only have to look back over our lives to see how much our values and beliefs can change. You may have believed in Father Christmas and the tooth fairy when you were a child and as you grew into adulthood you may have developed strong beliefs about vivisection, euthanasia, the environment or the war against terror. You may value education and learning and the importance of family life more now then you did when you were a child and so on. 7

8 Activity: Think of three things you used to believe in when you were younger which you don t believe now What happened to make you change your mind? Think of three things you didn t believe when you were younger but which you do believe now What happened to make you change your mind? 8

9 3. Limiting Beliefs You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them Michael Jordan Beliefs, as we have seen can be incredibly powerful. They can be very positive and motivational but they can also hold us back. When I was first learning to drive I had a terrible time. I received some very negative feedback which really knocked my confidence. I subsequently failed my driving test and have never been in the driving seat of a car since. Many years later I made the decision to apply to study for a research degree at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. I remember putting off posting my application until the very last minute - I doubted my ability and was worried the effect of being rejected would have on my confidence. In the end I plucked up the courage and applied and was delighted to be called up for an interview. The interviewing tutors were very positive and supportive. I received some very positive feedback which boosted my confidence and selfbelief. I was accepted and actually did very well on the course. I needn t have worried but maybe, at the back of my mind was a memory of the negative feedback I received from teachers at my old school telling me I would never amount to very much. 9

10 Unfortunately when people put us down or tell us we are rubbish at something we have a tendency to believe them and give up trying to do that very thing. Most of us will receive some positive feedback from time to time and yet most of us have a tendency to concentrate on the negatives. If only we could teach ourselves to ignore the negatives and concentrate instead on the positives our view of ourselves and those around us would improve. Most of us have limiting beliefs negative opinions we have of our perceived ability to do certain things. The problem with having limiting beliefs is they have a tendency to be true we can easily find the evidence to support our limiting beliefs. Somebody who says, for example, that they can t sing will try and sing, make a hash of it and then say: See, I told you I can t sing. The result becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The life we create for ourselves is largely due to the beliefs we have about ourselves, limiting or otherwise. When we believe we can do something we tend to work hard at this thing and as a result of our hard work we succeed but the opposite is also true. We can also sabotage ourselves with our limiting beliefs by blocking out any evidence that contradicts the negative view we have of ourselves. Someone who things they are unattractive for instance will ignore a compliment or dismiss it as being insincere but will have no trouble picking up on an insult! Many limiting beliefs originate at the capacity level - someone has a go at something they are 10

11 inexperienced at struggle and give up saying they can t do this thing when the reality is they just haven t learned to do this thing yet. When a student of mine says, I can t draw I encourage then to rephrase what they have said by saying, I can t draw, yet. When I was learning to drive I allowed myself to think I couldn t drive a car when in reality I just hadn t learned to drive a car at the point of failing my test. A more positive attitude would have led to me to learn from my mistakes and to conquering the skill of driving. We should eliminate the word can t from our vocabulary it does us no good at all. Activity: Consider the following. Which beliefs are working well for you at the moment? Which beliefs are not working quite so well for you at the moment? What is stopping you from changing the beliefs that are holding you back? What needs to happen for your limiting beliefs to change? 11

12 4. Choosing beliefs Its lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself. Muhammad Ali As we have seen, some the beliefs we hold can be good for us but some are not so good. We may want to change a belief but find that it is so deeply rooted that it is hard to shift but beliefs can be changed. One of the most powerful ways of doing this is to act as if. In other words, you act as if something is true. Doing this sends a clear message to your mind that the way you are thinking is true. Your mind will accept the reality of this truth which in turn becomes your default way of thinking. Let s imagine for a moment that you have a limiting belief about your ability to manage really challenging behaviour. You can overcome this limiting belief by acting as if you are confident at managing challenging behaviour. Positive thoughts will be accompanied by a positive physiology and the positive physiology will, in turn reinforce the positivity of your thinking. Before long a limiting belief about the inability to manage challenging behaviour will be replaced by a powerful belief about your confidence in this area. 12

13 5. Change a Limiting Belief Find the good. It s all around you. Find it, showcase it and you ll start believing in it. Jess Owens Try this simply exercise to change a limiting belief into a empowering, confidence boosting belief. Step 1: Choose a place to work where you know you won t be disturbed for a while. You will need some sticky notes, a pen and a wall onto which you can put your sticky notes. Step 2: Take some of the sticky notes and write on them some areas in your life in which you feel you have little confidence. It doesn t matter how huge or small these things are just go with the flow. Take your time there is no need to rush. Step 3: When you have written as many as you can think of stick the notes on the wall. You don t have to put them up in any particular order. When you have done this go and put the kettle on and make yourself a cup of tea. 13

14 Step 4: Come back and have a look at what you have written and ask yourself: If in five years from now I still don t have confidence in this area how will I feel? If the answer is somewhat indifferent than the issue probably isn t that important. Put these particular stickies to one side for now. Take the ones that remain, and for each of the areas written on the stickies say to yourself: What would achieving confidence in this area get for me? Write down your response. Look at each of the stickies again and say to yourself: What do I believe about my ability to achieve in this area? Write down your response. Step 6: Have a look at what you have written about your beliefs in this area. Have you written anything negative or limiting? If you have answer the following questions: Where does this negative, limiting belief come from? Where is the evidence that proves it is true? Where is the evidence that proves it is not true? What will happen if I keep hold of this limiting belief? What will happen if I let go of this limitingt belief? What would be a better belief to have concerning this area? 14

15 Conclusion We all have certain beliefs and values. Our beliefs and values can be positive and helpful and can, therefore get us the results we want in life but they can also hold us back. Limiting beliefs about ourselves develop into self-fulfilling prophecies. Most of us get what we focus on if we think we will underachieve then we will, but the opposite is also the case. If we develop positive, empowering beliefs about ourselves then we will act in a manner that will release our true potential. Understanding the dynamic of beliefs and values is particularly important for those of us engaged in delivering learning. Many of our students will lack confidence and will have low self-esteem. The negative self-image they have of themselves, which can result in poor behaviour may be the result of negative feedback they have received from those who also have limiting beliefs about themselves. However, we as teachers can offer them a different role to model. We can show them that change is not only possible but is actually quite easy when you have the right techniques and strategies in place. In order to make things better we need to act. Your life, as Jim Rohn said, does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. 15

16 References Bavister, S. and Vickers, A. (2008) Teaching Yourself NLP. London: Hodder Education Churches, R. and Terry, R. (2007). NLP for Teachers: How to be a Highly Effective Teacher. Carmarthen: Crown House Publishing. Molden, D. and Hutchinson, P. (2011). How to Confident with NLP: Powerful Techniques to Boost your Self-Confidence. Harlow: Pearson Education. 16

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