There are three key-insights into the creation of the values towards persistence:
- Our failure to be able to persist is often times based on our irrational and self-defeating views; we are not so much disturbed by the things that happen to us, but the views we have of these things. “You feel the way you think!”
- It does not matter how we got our irrational beliefs initially, as we stay upset in the present because we keep on reinforcing ourselves with these beliefs and act in ways that will strengthen them
- The only way to overcome our irrational and self-defeating beliefs is by persistent and hard work and repetitive practice; we will have to think, feel and act against these irrational beliefs
Insights 1 and 2 are liberating because we feel that our problems are under our own control and not the control of external factors that cannot change; however, insight 3 seems less liberating because of the hard work that is needed to translate theoretical understanding and the correction of our problems in daily practice. Remember – just realizing that you can change does not mean that you will change!
To leave irrational and self-defeating believes behind, we need to work with self-help and motivational material (books, sessions, audio-books) to accelerate the process of change and put ourselves in the driving seat, thus becoming our own coach.
Change can only be obtained through persistence and hard work on one’s self-limiting beliefs.