10 core beliefs that rewired my mind — and changed my life

Where neuroscience and spirituality meet: how reshaping your brain can transform your reality.

Hi friends,

Today I had a difficult conversation I didn’t anticipate. There was tension and challenge which, in the past, would have left me defensive or in tears. But this time, this time, something had shifted in me and the experience was different.

I felt steady. Calm. Almost detached. I could sense the other person’s pain and expectations, but I didn’t absorb them. I simply listened, reflected, and stayed grounded.

When they later said they were impressed by how I handled their pushback, I realised: this is progress (!!).

For someone like me — deeply conflict-averse, prone to flight, not fight, when confronted — this was revolutionary. Iron is tested in fire. And I could see that all the inner work of the past few years had changed me. And it began with changes in my mindset, informed by core spiritual beliefs I hold about the world and my life.

So I felt compelled to write about this for you. Too many of us feel trapped by our own minds, often caught in patterns that seem unbreakable; but I’ve come to understand that the first step to real freedom is understanding that you can change what you believe. And when you change what you believe, you change how you feel; when you take charge of your mind-spirit connection, you create what becomes possible in your life.

I care about sharing these realisations/insights with you all because I care about people. I especially care about people who care about people (and my guess is, that’s you).

So, dear friends, if you:

• feel stuck in cycles of low thoughts or self-doubt;

• default into powerless in the face of outer circumstances — burnout, instability, uncertainty;

• have done a lot of self-work already but are realising awareness isn’t translating into change;

• feel you’ve lost faith — in institutions, progress, sometimes even in yourself;

• crave meaning, direction, and a sense that change is still possible…

…then this post is for you. And I hope what you need reaches you.

The mind-spirit connection

Your beliefs are not permanent. They are learned patterns. And if they were learned, they can be unlearned. Choose beliefs that serve your highest self, not hold you down to a lower version of you.

This understanding has changed everything for me.

Both spirituality and science agree that transformation isn’t just possible, it’s natural. We’re built for change. The brain adapts; the soul evolves. Even religion, across the ages, as an enduring source of knowledge and insight, is not absolute but relative.

Neuroscience calls this phenomena of adaptability to changing circumstances as neuroplasticity — the mind’s ability to change its own structure in response to thought, emotion, and experience. Every time you choose a different perspective, or respond with awareness rather than habit, you are literally rewiring your brain.

So while emotions and experiences shape your beliefs, our beliefs also shape what emotions and experiences we have. It’s a cycle, a feedback loop, a tandem truth of transformation.

The more conscious we become of this process, the more powerfully we can orchestrate our lives to the melodies we want to dance to. (I can’t believe I just wrote that — poetic or nauseating? Either way, it’s true.).

When you begin to shift your core beliefs — about who you are, what life is for, and what is possible — the world around you begins to respond.

This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s how reality is constructed.

Photo by julien Tromeur

My core beliefs

In light of the above, I thought I’d share some of my own evolving, personal, core beliefs and encourage you to identify and describe yours.

Writing this list was a great grounding exercise, helping me to realise that I can consciously choose what to believe because each one shapes how I see, feel, and act.

1. We are noble beings. We have been created and designed with purpose and out of/for love. Our journey in this life is best focused on connecting with that inherent nobility through deepening our relationship with the Source of it all, by whatever name you wish to use.

2. Our lives have a twofold purpose: to grow spiritually as individuals and to serve humanity and make it a better place. One without the other doesn’t work. We have to be inward and outward oriented. We need to be and do. Imbalance leads to imbalance.

3. There are always two forces at play in the world— those that lift us toward our purpose, and those that pull us away. Our power lies in choosing where we centre our energy. This requires radical honesty and knowing what leads to our abasement and what leads to our glory.

4. We all need help (no one is ‘perfect’) and supporting each other is necessary for thriving. These can be individual tools (mindsets, effective practices) or collective needs (community, healthy environments). Use them and share them, generously.

5. We are organic with our environment. No one is immune. What we consume, who we spend time with, what we dwell on all rewires our minds and hearts. Curate wisely.

6. Everyone is the captain of their own soul. We must investigate truth for ourselves, see with our own eyes, and give ourselves (and others) grace and patience while we grow. This belief also frees us from judgement.

7. Growth requires discomfort. Pain isn’t punishment. Pain is the pressure that forms wisdom. Just look at nature.

8. True happiness is in service. We find ourselves by giving light to others, even when we feel that what we have to give is meagre or meek. The purity of our intentions in service is far more important than our forms of service.

9. Freedom lies in detachment. Remembering how brief and fleeting this life is will clarify what truly matters. Thinking about death regularly frees us from the mires and trappings of this world.

10. We are never alone. There are visible and invisible forces waiting to be called on. We need to refine our receptivity to those forces so we can draw upon their assistance. It’s not airy-fairy nonsense. It’s reality.

So that’s my list and while I could go on (it’s not exhaustive list), the crux of it is that they are important to get right — or as close to right as possible. Because they shape everything.

Imagine, for instance, if I believed the opposite of any of the above. How would the opposite beliefs shape my actions and experiences?

Now, over to you. What would be on your list?

As you map your beliefs, you’ll begin to see the connection between what you hold inside and what you experience outside.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, like you’re circling the same mountain, know that you’re not broken, and you’re not behind. You are simply being invited into a new way of seeing and understanding.

Photo by Fred Moon

So if you’re asking yourself questions like, “Why can’t I move forward?”, perhaps start with these questions instead:

• What do I believe to be true?

• What do I tell myself about myself?

• Are those beliefs serving my higher self? Which beliefs feed my ego, my self-criticism, or leave me in a critical and despondent state? Which beliefs give me hope, stir inner contentment, and elevate me to a more nobler state?

• What do I want for myself and which beliefs reinforce that reality?

The mind is not fixed.

I know I write a lot. Maybe you’ve gotten this far. If you are skimming and you want a summary of the above, it’s simply this: you can retrain the mind to change your life.

Every time you choose compassion over criticism, reflection over reaction, or hope over despair, you are physically rewiring your brain. You are creating a new possibility.

That means your past doesn’t define you. Your patterns aren’t permanent. And the story you tell yourself about who you are can change — because your brain can.

Everyone is deserving of living from a place of coherence and spiritual integrity. It’s the design desired for you. When your inner world and outer life come into greater and greater alignment, it will change everything (really).

This is one of the most liberating truths I know. And I’ve shared it openly with you today with the hope that it frees you, too.

Photo by Alexey Demidov

Oh, and one last thing: the Prophets and mystics have always known and taught these truths…we just don’t always pay attention. Science (from nature, psychology, to neuroscience and more) reflects this reality, too. So take comfort in the evidence and our unfolding collective consciousness and step into it with confidence so that you and others around you can benefit.

I believe in you and I believe in us.

Thank you for being here.

Kat

p.s. If any of this post spoke to you, I would be most grateful if you share it with someone who needs it. Thank you.