the belief carousel that's been shaping your life

So, here's the thing, I've definitely realized that much of how we experience life is like sitting inside a theater where the slides of our beliefs are projected onto this giant mental screen. It's this constantly shifting narrative. And the crazy part is, most of these slides aren’t even ours. They’re borrowed or inherited, told by the expectations of others, like that carousel of beliefs that's been turning since forever.

At some point, I had to stop and ask myself: What if I designed my own slides for a change?

You know, when I was younger, I decided against following the regular paths laid out for me. You know, college, stable job, a lined-up life plan. Instead, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could design something that felt more like my own graffiti on the walls of my reality. I chose homelessness over college.

Weird choice? Maybe. But it was the purest form of stepping aside from the mainstream and finding out what beliefs truly resonated with me. What I learned there was more than most classrooms could offer, a deep dive into designing my reality, starting with what's been painted onto my awareness all along.

It's like that moment when you're staring at a mural, and it just hits you that every stroke of paint, every color, was a choice. Some of it detailed, some abstract, but each had an intention, conscious or not. Our beliefs, in much the same way, paint onto our internal canvases. Everything you see, every decision you make is affected by this hidden mural.

But if you don't choose the colors yourself, you're just living someone else's art.

There's a friend of mine, Julia, whose life seemed to be modeled by the beliefs that her parents installed, like software, without any room for a reboot. She followed the path so well-trodden it was like concrete beneath her feet. Secure job, steady house, all the 'right' choices. Yet, there she was, feeling more like a participant in a life ceremony than the one conducting it.

Until she decided, mid-marketing meeting on a random Tuesday, to change the core slide, she took a break, went off-grid, started painting. Not for money. Just to reconnect with who she might be outside these internal projections.

But here's where it gets interesting: not everyone recognizes these default slides as optional. Many act as if the carousel can't be stopped, that the slides are somehow permanent. And I get it, the comfort of routine is insidious. But there’s a way to press pause, examine them, and dismantle the ones that don't serve you.

It begins with asking, what is this belief showing me and does it actually reflect what I want to see on my screen?

Now, so much of reality feels like just a big practical thing. Not this nebulous, unknowable entity. It's a series of decisions you make beyond the mire of what's been defaulted into your life. The thing is, beliefs are like old fixtures: they're built-in, but they can be replaced.

You think it's complex, but maybe it isn't. It takes action, not just pondering. Thinking only gets you so far, you have to change the channel, choose a new slide.

Okay, let's get real. If this whole thing about designing your life was easy, nobody would be struggling. It's tough to disrupt the patterns. I mean, you walk into a room, and you're immediately interpreting everything through this filter of accrued beliefs, where you see challenges, opportunities, or threats.

It's like involuntarily tuning into a default playlist that you've heard over and over again. But we're not stuck with it. Switch it out like an album that's worn thin.

When I look back at starting my first business, it was exactly about this. Everyone said no, you need a degree, a safety net, you need this and that. And I honestly didn’t know if I could make it work. But what no one told me was that every 'no' from others only strengthened my resolve to question and redesign the beliefs that told me I would fail.

Here's the technique I used, and if you’re game, try this yourself:

Take a piece of paper and jot down three beliefs you think are holding you back. " Once you've got them, take each one and rewrite it into a statement of possibility. " Stick it up somewhere visible. Every day, just read them.

Act as if those new beliefs are true. Let them accompany you like an evolving background score.

In essence, every design of your reality is anchored on the beliefs you're choosing to project. If your inner art doesn't reflect a landscape you enjoy waking up to, then it's time to redraw. It's practical, as life often is. Think of whatever holds back a strong current, once you remove the obstructions, the flow realigns.

You don't just change beliefs to feel better; you alter them to create a better environment for those feelings to become your baseline.

One more thing on attention and perception. You know how when you buy a new car, you suddenly see your model everywhere? That's no different from how attention works in your mental space. Whatever beliefs you're highlighting have repercussions.

They multiply until it feels like the universe itself is reflecting them back to you. Alter your beliefs, that spotlight shifts, showing you a new way through.

Julia figured that out eventually. By changing her internal art gallery one painting at a time, she started seeing opportunities popping up that didn't seem remotely possible in her old filter. Her mental artwork began attracting like-minded creators, opportunities for exhibitions, and let's just say, other brands started seeking her expertise in visual storytelling. The universe echoed her internal adjustments.

And, you know, all this loops back to the game idea. Life tweaking its levels based on your psychic upgrades. It's that whole notion of passing tests. Except the tests are beliefs in disguise.

The more self-aware you become of this carousel, the ease with which you flow through life's game multiplies. Your beliefs, now modified, equip you with new armor and weapons to tackle what once seemed insurmountable. It's the player leveling up.

The problems arise when you don't hold the map. When the shadows start telling you which way is north without question. The more intense the shadow, the stronger the misleading belief. The only way out is to ask questions.

If you remain curious and patient, even the darkest false belief will crumble under scrutiny. You just pivot and realign.

I often say, "believe nothing, but consider everything." That means playing architect to your reality's inner Board of Weights and Measures. Trimming, reshaping, expanding. It's fine to take in new beliefs, but remember, it’s equally vital to disassemble the obsolete structures. What's left after that is likely to resemble the scaffolding for a reality truly designed by you.

I don't know, man. I've just been thinking how reality design really isn't some profound secret. It only seems elusive because we've got a lot piled on that fogs clarity. But beneath those layers is simplicity and potential.

Change what you see, change the beliefs driving that imagery. I can't claim to have all the answers. None of us really do. But if you can start seeing beliefs as interchangeable, you’ll realize how many have been holding you back.

I think, maybe, there's something about staying open to the uncertainty of it all that allows the most potent designs to come through. It's like that carousel keeps turning, but now, the choice of what slides appear next is increasingly yours. Who knows where that leads? But hey, maybe that's something worth figuring out together.