The Core Belief Exercise
A Core Belief is a belief we have about our self, other people or the world around us. These
beliefs are very raw and were formed at an early age by what we experienced, were told
and observed. They are our subconscious operating system. To efficiently move beyond
our limitations, we can identify and shift these beliefs. But in order to do so, we must begin
to admit them, face them and work with them. This exercise will help you begin that
process.
Step One: Reflect for a moment and choose two categories of your life that you are
currently challenged by. Examples: Family, Relationship, Career, Friends, Life Path
Write down your two categories below. Category #3 will represent your overall feeling
about life in general.
Read through the following core belief list and put an X down if the belief resonates with
the categories you identified. Do not think too hard about any of the statements. Just go
with your first instinct. And be as honest with yourself, as possible.
Core Belief
I am a failure
I am a loser
I am a mistake
I am a reject
I am afraid
I am all alone
I am always left out
I am always wrong
I am awkward
I am bad
I am broken
I am confused
I am crazy
I am defective
I am disposable
I am flawed
I am going to die early in life
I am guilty
I am hopeless
I am imperfect
I am in the wrong place
I am incompetent
I am invisible
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
Category #1
Category #2
Category #3
Life in General
I always come second
I am not enough
I am not loveable
I am not recognized
I am not safe
I am not special
I am not wanted
I am not whole
I am nothing
I am out of control
I am powerless
I am slow
I am stupid
I am trapped and can’t escape
I am unacceptable
I am unattractive
I am unbalanced
I am undeserving of love
I am unfixable
I am unimportant
I am uninteresting (and people will
leave me because of it)
I am unsuccessful
I am unsure
I am unwanted
I am unworthy
I am useless
I am vulnerable
I am worthless
I am wrong
I can do no wrong
I can’t
I can’t achieve
I can’t be happy if I’m on my own
I can’t be me
I can’t be moderate
I can’t change
I can’t control anything
I can’t do it
I can’t get it right
I can’t handle anything
I can’t make myself clear
I can’t say ‘no’
I can’t stand up for myself
I can’t trust or rely on another
person
I cannot be healed
I cannot be myself, or I'll be rejected
I can't succeed
I deserve a lot of attention and
praise
I do not measure up to others
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
I don’t belong
I don’t deserve anything
I don’t deserve to be cared for
I don’t deserve to be loved
I don’t exist
I don’t fit in anywhere
I don’t have the energy
I don’t have to be bound by the rules
that apply to others
I don’t know
I don’t know who I really am
I don’t matter
I don’t trust anyone
I don’t want to
I don't deserve abundance
I don't deserve closeness
I don't deserve success
I don't deserve to be happy
I don't have the power to keep
myself healthy
I finish last
I have always had a weak system
I have ruined my whole life
I have to do everything myself
I have to do everything perfectly
I have to make people happy
I may lose my freedom
I might get hurt
I must always please in order to
have love
I must do what everyone else wants
me to do
I must have control to be okay
I must struggle in order to succeed
I never come first
I never get my way
I will be controlled or overpowered
by others
I will deteriorate with old age
I will die from this
I will fail
I will get the illness my mom or dad
got
I will inevitably be abandoned by
someone I love
I will inevitably be rejected
I will lose
I will not be listened to or
acknowledged
I’m a bad person
I’m a failure
I’m a loser
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
I’m afraid
I’m alone
I’m always left out
I’m always wrong
I’m bound to be rejected
I’m helpless/powerless
I’m ineffective
I’m inferior
I’m insignificant
I’m needy
I’m not a worthwhile person
I’m not good enough
I’m not lovable
I’m not ready
I’m not understood
I’m not wanted
I’m nothing
I’m only worthwhile if I’m helping
other people
I’m out of control
I’m responsible for everyone and
everything
I’m shameful
I’m stupid
I’m superior (and am entitled to
special treatment)
I’m trapped
I’m unacceptable
I’m unimportant
I’m unlikeable
I’m unsuccessful
I’m unwelcome
I’m useless
I’m vulnerable
I’m weak
I’m worthless
I’ve done something wrong
If I assert myself, people will leave
me
If I can't do it perfectly, then I'd
better not do it
If I care enough, I can fix
him/her/this
If I don’t do it, no one will
If I don’t excel, I’ll just end up
ordinary
If I don’t excel, then I’m inferior and
worthless
If I experience emotions, I will lose
control
If I get too close I will lose myself
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
If I make a mistake, it means I’m
careless/a failure/etc.
If I show my vulnerability I will be
in danger
If I trust people, they may hurt me
I'll hurt somebody if I get angry
I'm destined to be a victim
I'm not attractive enough
I'm not worthy of a happy and
healthy life
I'm not worthy of success
I'm too old to.
It’s my fault
It’s not okay to ask for help
It's not safe to express my feelings
Life has to be a struggle
Love is dangerous
Love will smother me
Money will make me happy
My body is frail
My life is out of balance
My needs are not important
My work cannot be fun
No one ever listens to me
Nobody loves me
Nothing works for me
Other people will manipulate me
and control my life
People are untrustworthy
People don't like me
People I love will leave me
People will betray me
Sickness gets me love and attention
Sickness gets me out of things I
don't want to do
Success is dangerous
There’s no way out
There’s something wrong with me
What’s the point
Men can’t be trusted
Men hurt me
Women can’t be trusted
Women hurt me
Abundant success is unsafe
Closeness is dangerous
Communication is contentious
Everything I do goes wrong
Failing is unacceptable
God will punish me
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
Step #2:
Write down the beliefs that received three marks in the “Original Limiting Belief” column
below. If you do not have any, notate the ones that received two marks. Once you have
completed that, change the original belief to a new, supportive version. Tip: Keep the new
belief in the present moment and avoid negatives. For example: “I will fail” becomes “I will
succeed”, rather than “I will not fail.” Some of the beliefs will be easier to adapt than
others. Do your best to create ones that makes sense for you.
Original Limiting Belief
New Supportive Belief
Step #3:
Now that you have identified some of your limiting beliefs, it’s time for an awareness
period. As you go about your next week, pay attention to how many times you catch
yourself thinking some version of the limiting beliefs. See if, in that moment, you can
replace the thought with the supportive version. Most likely, when you begin to do that,
you will have resistance (additional thoughts trying to sabotage the supportive belief).
Just do your best to be aware of the thoughts. If you would like, you can also post the
supportive beliefs around your home (such as by your computer), as visual reminders.
Changing your core beliefs is a deep process that takes several layers of effort. This first
step is just about becoming AWARE of what your subconscious operating system has
been. That awareness will lead you towards an ultimate shift.
The list of core beliefs are selected from the following sources: www.rosspsychology.com, www.core-beliefsbalance.com, Louise Hay, Dr. Henry Grayson, Susan Shehata
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.
Ready to Look Deeper?
Click Here to
Schedule a Core Story Session with Susan Shehata
An exploratory session to uncover and
release the primary themes that have
occurred in your life, that limit your
thoughts and experiences.
This session can be done in person, via
phone or skype.
Your Two Hour Session includes:
* Pre-session Reflection Questions to identify your current goals and challenges
* Pre-session Response Review that allows me to tune into your unique situation and customize
your session
* Sharing of Your Story to uncover prevalent themes
* Exploration of the Core Belief Cycle and the interconnection of your beliefs, thoughts,
perceptions, emotion and behaviors
* Core Belief Exercise to determine what is currently affecting you
* Theme Distillation to explain your personal mind/body/life connections
* Guiding Insights that I have about your story and how to begin the reframing process
* Energy Clearing to assist in integrating your insights
* Life Assignments to take away which support shifting your core story
To have a session with Susan is to feel like you are talking to a wise and trusted
advisor who can see things in your story that you’ve somehow missed, and reflect
them back in a way that feels like you’ve known the answer all along. By the end of
the session, I already felt my balance returning. Thank you, Susan, for sharing your
knowledge and gifts. – Madeline
©2015 Susan Shehata. All Rights Reserved.