āWe donāt see the world as it is, we see it as we are.ā āAnaĆÆs Nin
Write your creed because you will live out what you believe
Iāve said it before and Iām saying it again because I promise you that itās true: you will live out what you believe (both consciously and subconsciously) about yourself, your chances, your situation, your place in the world, and on the list goes. The best way Iāve found to know what you really believe (or really want to believe) deep down where it matters most is to write your own creed.
What is a creed?
Your creed is a statement or series of statements about what you believe, what you value, and who you are at the core. Writing your creed is a process that will help you better understand yourself and what motivates you. If youāre true to yourself when you write your creed, youāll come to find that it will:
- empower you,
- give you focus, and
- help shape your choices and actions so you can live a life thatās true and meaningful to you.
How do you write your creed?
- Answer some (or all if you like) of the Proust Questionnaire. For example, answer these:
What ideal is most important to me?
What is my favorite virtue? My chief characteristic? My main fault?
What if my idea of happiness? Of misery?
What is my favorite motto?
Who are my heroes in real life? - Pay attention. Seek out quotes/phrases that resonate with you or make up your own.
- Let yourself explore possibilities. Writing your creed will make you question yourself and who you are now and who you want to be. So write down any and all phrases/quotes that resonate with you. Write down everything you come across that takes your attention and/or makes you stop and take note.
- Start editing. Go through the list you made in number three above and choose the ones that feel most like you (either who you are now or who youād like to be). Circle those.
- Write those circled phrases on a separate sheet. That’s your creed.
- Put your creed somewhere you will see it. Read it. Let your creed become the beliefs that cycle through your head over and over. Enough repetition and you wonāt even have to think about them. Youāll just believe them about yourself.
- Let your creed guide your decisions and actions. If you do that, youāll see that your creed will become a roadmap, getting you to who you most want to be and to where you most want to go.
What a great idea- write your own creed! I love it! I love your posts, Shelli. They are so inspiring and packed with little golden nuggets that I can think about and put into action. And I stress “think about” because so often we get busy with the demands of life, and are living through our days on auto-pilot. At least, I know I do. Taking the time to review my ideals and values and what I believe (and hope for) to create a personal creed is a wonderful endeavor. Thank you!
Hi lovely Heather. Thanks for the fabulous compliments, darlin. Made me smile this afternoon. š I know what you mean about auto-pilot. Itās so easy to get caught up in the busyness. Life moves really fast; if you donāt slow down you might end up missing yours. So Iām so glad to hear that youāre taking the time to stop and pay attention to what it is you really believe or want to believe. *hugs*