Unconscious Beliefs Drive Behavior -- Lasting Change Requires Elimination

Key Quotes

"why people knew what to do and didn't do it and knew what not to do and did it anyway and in his own life he was struggling things were supposed to turn out and they just didn't -- and so he was on a plane going to california and he was journaling like why do people know and everybody listening you all know this is true if you exercise and eat well and get a lot of sleep you will have a better quality of life and you'll probably live longer and a lot of us don't do it"

Shelly Lefkoe explains that the core reason people fail to act on their knowledge is due to underlying beliefs, not a lack of effort. She uses the example of knowing that exercise and healthy eating improve life quality, yet many people still don't implement these habits. Lefkoe suggests that these behavioral inconsistencies stem from unconscious beliefs that dictate our actions.

"a belief is a statement about reality that you hold as the truth that's what a belief is right it's not wishy washy it's not sometimes or maybe a belief is this is the truth and most of our beliefs are unconscious and here's why 15 years of therapy and all the personal growth work and all the spiritual work doesn't usually usually get rid of beliefs"

Shelly Lefkoe defines a belief as an absolute truth about reality, distinguishing it from mere opinions or possibilities. She emphasizes that most of these beliefs operate unconsciously. Lefkoe points out that traditional methods like therapy or personal growth work often fail to eliminate these deeply ingrained beliefs.

"we come into this world we conclude i'm not good enough and i'm not important those are the two first you know most core beliefs so now i got i'm not good enough in my face that sucks i don't want to walk around with that you get acknowledged for something so if you get acknowledged for a's and goals you're going to conclude what makes me good enough is achieving things now i have a beach ball called i'm not good enough but as long as i'm achieving things the beach ball stays underwater"

Shelly Lefkoe asserts that the foundational beliefs formed in early life are "I'm not good enough" and "I'm not important." She illustrates how external validation, such as academic achievement, can become a survival strategy to manage the "I'm not good enough" belief, likening it to keeping a beach ball underwater. Lefkoe explains that this creates a cycle of needing to constantly achieve to feel adequate.

"underlying anger is always powerlessness because if you could do something about it you just would we get angry because we feel powerless underlying fear is always a real or imagined threat to your survival and mostly when we feel fear there is no threat to your survival"

Shelly Lefkoe identifies powerlessness as the root cause of anger, suggesting that anger arises when individuals feel incapable of changing a situation. She also posits that fear stems from perceived threats to survival, noting that often these perceived threats are not actual dangers. Lefkoe's analysis connects emotions to underlying beliefs about control and safety.

"the five most common beliefs that most people have and i'm going to tell you if you're going to be a successful entrepreneur or you're going to level up in any aspect of your life you cannot do it with these beliefs i'm not good enough i'm not so everybody listening just take a deep breath i want to just show you something say out loud if you can if you're in a place to do that i'm not good enough"

Shelly Lefkoe lists "I'm not good enough" as one of the five most common beliefs that hinder success and personal growth. She encourages listeners to acknowledge this belief by saying it aloud, noting that the negative feeling associated with it is an indicator of its presence. Lefkoe stresses that these core beliefs must be addressed for significant life changes.

"our circumstances don't determine what happens to us the meaning that you give does and that comes from your beliefs wow and that's what we call the level up guys guys leave a five star review on spotify and apple podcast we're currently ranked number one in business category right now and top 10 in all categories because of you guys the listeners for the 3 million listeners that we get on a monthly basis on the show we want to thank you we're gonna continue to bring really great guests just like shelly here to help you guys break down your limiting beliefs and to help you guys level up more in 2025 going into 2026"

Shelly Lefkoe concludes by stating that it is not external circumstances, but rather the meaning individuals assign to those circumstances, which is derived from their beliefs, that shapes their outcomes. She emphasizes that this process of understanding and changing beliefs is key to personal "leveling up." Lefkoe's final point highlights the power of interpretation over event occurrence.