If you were to do what you love, instead of what you think or have been told you "should" do, what would you do?

If you were to be and act like the person you want to be, instead of behaving as you "should," how would that be different from how you act now?

Beginning early in life, people are bombarded by statements that include the word should. Some shoulds are OK. For instance, you should eat healthy foods, exercise and take time for rest and reflection. You should be considerate of others, animals and the environment. You should spend time with your children and you should help those less fortunate.

In contrast, there is the destructive side of shoulds. This is the side filled with stress, anxiety, insecurity and propelled by guilt. These shoulds come from family, friends, co-workers, teachers, society, and many we came up with on our own.

For example: You should be satisfied with what you have, you should be at the top of your class, you should be more realistic, you shouldn't expect too much, you shouldn't trust people, you should know that life is hard, you should follow in your fathers footsteps.

These shoulds are simply other people's beliefs, opinions and ideas that have been accepted blindly without question or consideration. As these shoulds take root in your thinking they become your beliefs and define who you are, what you do and how you behave. Ultimately these beliefs create your life experiences, your circumstance.

What you believe is what you create in your life. Everything you say, do, feel or think is based upon the beliefs you hold in your mind consciously and subconsciously. It's time to awaken from the mindful slumber we've fallen into and examine these statements of beliefs, these shoulds, to see if they are supportive, helping us get where we want to get to, or if they are holding us back.

Author and inspirational speaker Debbie Ford says, "And until we can destroy the shoulds, we will keep reinforcing the past---rehashing our past mistakes, and repeating our old behaviors. And we will continue to live in the cesspool of our outdated beliefs."

Imagine for a moment stepping into a new body, a new mindset, a new way of thinking and being. Imagine doing what you want to do, being who you want to be, and acting in a way that feels natural and authentic. What you see and sense on the screen of your mind is possible once you clear those limiting, outdated shoulds and beliefs. The mind and the beliefs it holds are powerful. I encourage you to take account, dissolve the unwanted and fill your mind with positive beliefs, knowing that when you change your beliefs you change your life and begin to soar.

Esther Bartkiw is a Certified Associate Practitioner of Core Belief Engineering a transformative, results oriented belief therapy. Visit her website at www.changefromwithin.ca or call her at 905-630-4471. Printed October 2006, The Silhouette, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.