in a quest for self improvement i find this article quite beneficial. one of the books i have used in the past to disgard false beliefs/thoughts and change my way of thinking is a new guide to rational thinking by albert ellis, phd. my lingering old beliefs keep popping up however unless i am "listening" to my thoughts so i can counteract the old belief. the suggestion of embracing the discomfort is most helpful to me.
Breaking Free from Your Comfort Zone and embrace the pathway to change
Published on August 8, 2011 by Mel Schwartz, L.C.S.W. Mphil in A Shift of Mind
Our Most Intimate Relationship
The most intimate relationship we will have in our lives is not with our
parents, our spouses, our children or closest friends. It is with our thoughts. They are our constant companions. Our thoughts will impact our lives far more than any relationship. In fact, they will greatly impact those relations.
The quality and nature of what our thoughts tell us will largely script the experience of our lives. Learning to break free from the confines of old thought is the key to personal growth.
Thoughts can either be our supportive allies or our critical antagonists. They are the very filters through which we experience our lives. A particular thought – embedded as part of a larger belief – can either imprison or liberate us. Our thoughts very much tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies.
Just consider how the difference between the thoughts “I’m not good enough” and “I am of value” will script your life experience. Self-critical thoughts are damaging. Imagine having a critical, judgmental voice perched on your shoulder assaulting you all day long. That would ruin your day. Now, imagine it for a lifetime.
How different might our lives be if we learned at a young age, as part of our primary
education, to enter into a healthy habit of thinking? Regrettably, the only time we tend to look at our thinking is when we are stumbling in life or running into a wall. It need not be this way. Developing a healthy relationship with your thinking should be a primary undertaking in life and yet it is tragically ignored. ....
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/shift-mind/201108/breaking-free-your-comfort-zone