Personal Development Toolkit - Belief

Each week, Personal Development Toolkit features a one word tool of personal growth and development. This week's tool is Belief.

Welcome to Personal Development Toolkit, a new feature appearing every Monday. Each week, Personal Development Toolkit will feature a one word tool you can use to construct additions to your personal growth and development. Each week's toolkit will include a brief description of the tool and a suggestion for using it.

A Belief is a thought we hold in our mind about something. The word belief is usually reserved for those things we hold sacred and true. We seldom question our beliefs and therein lies the opportunity for personal growth.

Example: Jennifer refuses to donate to the man who stands near her office with the hand-lettered sign, "out of work and hungry." "He could get a job if he wanted to," she says, "He's just too lazy to work."

This Week: Catch yourself automatically stereotyping someone this week. Watch yourself for instances where, without thinking, you find yourself saying, "Oh, he's a..." or "You know how she is, she always..." Automatically labeling someone is your clue that you have a belief about a certain type of person or behavior. Where did you get that belief? Is it really true all the time? Look for instances that disprove it and be open to other conclusions.