I was at the post office a few weeks ago sending out a CD to a friend. The mailing label contained our company logo – “John Morgan Hypnosis.” The woman behind the counter said, “Is that you?” I said, “Yes.” She then said, “I don’t believe in that stuff.”

I told her I have a friend that doesn’t believe in gravity and he keeps getting hit in the head with apples. She laughed and we had a pleasant exchange. It got me curious about beliefs. I then heard The Grasshopper say,

“The mind proves what it believes.”

For the most part the things we believe in have no evidence to back them up. Like it says in the book, Ishmael,

“There is no argument powerful enough to end the argument.”

Our minds are believing machines.

Arguing about beliefs is great talk show fodder. You could be the world’s worst talk show host and have people backed up waiting to pontificate and persuade if you offer to discuss any of the following topics: abortion, capital punishment, gun control, welfare, and the way toilet paper hangs.

I once did a 4 hour talk show where people relentlessly argued about the “right” way to hang toilet paper.

By and large, beliefs are theories. And anytime I hear the word “theory,” I’m reminded of one of my teachers, Dr. Dave Dobson. He said,

“Theory is bulls—t and defending your theory is bulls—t squared.”

So I would never ask you to change your beliefs because it wouldn’t work even if they aren’t working for you.

The question I pose is not: are your beliefs true? A more valuable question is: are they useful?

Colin Tipping wrote the following in his book, Radical Forgiveness:

“. . . it is worth noting that even the most widely accepted theories are based on assumptions for which there is very little hard evidence. For example, did you know that not one shred of evidence exists to support Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? Historically, that theory ranks as one of the biggest assumptions ever made. It serves as the basic assumption behind all biological science and as the very foundation on which much of our accepted scientific truth rests. However, the fact that no evidence exists to prove this assumption true does not mean that the theory is invalid or not useful.”

I’m currently writing a book called, Life – It’s Your Movie. Here’s an excerpt on beliefs:

“Socrates said, ‘An unexamined life is not worth living.’ We live our lives, mostly unaware, of many of the beliefs we hold, and the hold they have on us. Beliefs will take you to one destination – the same place every time. They are like trains that run on predetermined tracks and they always arrive at the same station – not matter that you desire to go elsewhere.

Get curious about your beliefs. Ask yourself, how did I get it in the first place and, more importantly, is it taking me where I want to go? Just opening yourself to this type of examination is a stepping stone to uncovering other beliefs that are running behind the scenes and being projected on the screen as your life – your movie.”

Gravity by definition means seriousness and heaviness. Your beliefs can weigh you down. Take a little ride in your own space capsule and see how weightless you can get, and get some more “Tang” out of life.

All the best,

John