How your Early Childhood Shapes your Adult Life
Did you know that as children, we internalise what we are exposed to, and that our childhood experiences continue to influence us, often without us being consciously aware of it?
How can beliefs formed during childhood extend long into adulthood?
As children, we're like a sponge and we absorb everything that happens around us. This is especially true between the age of 3 and 7. During those years, we learn how to feel about ourself, others and life in general.
Who do we learn from? The people around us: parents, family, friends, peers, (religious and political) leaders, communities, teachers, media etc, as well as the cultural norms and expectations of where we grow up, as well as where our families come from.
How do we learn? First by modelling what we see, hear, feel, and adapting to the reactions and behaviours of others, and also by giving an ‘interpretation’ about each and every situation. We indeed draw ‘conclusions’ from a word, or an event, and we do so at an age where the logical center of our brain (the cerebral cortex) is not yet fully developed. Little by little we create a belief structure (based on what we’ve learnt from others), which will form the framework of what we then consider to be our identity.
How is it affecting us long into adult life? You may think that you’re in control of how you think, feel and behave but the truth is that most of the time, the majority of people aren’t. Our belief structure is buried (mostly) in the unconscious mind: this is where our fears, phobias, values, needs and experiences are stored. According to neuroscience, the unconscious mind is what is influencing us 90-95% of the time.
Most of us have some beliefs that are supporting us in what we want in our life today, and others that aren’t. The supporting beliefs help us in overcoming challenges, growing and realising our goals and our dreams. Limiting beliefs often lead us to experience challenging situations, to put up with situations or make choices that don’t make us happy, as well as unwillingly sabotaging what we want to realise and experience.
Our earliest experiences stick with us, and continue to influence (for good or bad) our mental and emotional well-being, our relationships with others, and even our physical health well into adulthood.
What are the beliefs that may be impacting your life today?
If you’re keen to find out, grab a pen and paper and make a list of the messages you’ve heard, felt, sensed and been told as a child about:
yourself
love & relationships
your talents, what you’re good at
friendships
work
money
sex
parenting
family
any area of your life you feel strongly about
You have beliefs about rights, duties, abilities, permissions and so on - we all do. I invite you to go deeper than what you think you believe. If you find the exercise challenging, you’re not alone. It takes practice and sometimes some guidance to uncover deep rooted beliefs. Remember, most of them are unconscious. You’ve got to work to be conscious of the unconscious!
Once you’re aware of what may be running the show (your life!) in the background, you can choose to focus your attention on what YOU (as an adult) want to believe. You’ll most probably want to keep some of your existing beliefs, and change others.
The great news is that once you've identified the beliefs that you would rather not have, you can choose to create new ones instead. I’ll share more about this in my next blog “How to become a conscious Architect of Life?”.
Imagine how your life would be by tapping into your natural abilities to BE, DO and HAVE what you really want in your life, and how it would impact positively on the life of those around you. Instead of accepting the status quo, you can choose to turn all the “I can’t” and “I shouldn’t” into create new possibilities for yourself. Are you now keen to create a positive change in your life?
I can help you feel centered, tap into your inner strength, express your essence and live fulfilled through the ‘Inside-out’ Approach.
Until we meet, take care.
Cécile
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Hi, I’m Cécile Bleskine
I support women lead a fulfilled life, feeling aligned with who they are and what they want
Fascinated by the connection between mind, body and energy, I have specialised in several modalities, that when combined, facilitate personal and professional transformation
My passion for blending neuroscience and meditation (mind), somatic and emotion based work (body) and practices such as reiki and sound healing (energy) creates a profound experience that brings about lasting results
This ‘Inside-out’ Approach is what sets my work apart
If you’d like to know more about how we can work together, click here