Everyone is challenged by his or her beliefs from time to time. It doesn't matter if you're the CEO of a fortune 500 company, a talented inventor, a rocket scientist or someone who has escaped corporate life to follow your dream of building a home business.

Throughout your lifetime you have accumulated certain beliefs that either help or hinder your levels of success and happiness.

The reason why it's so important to understand this is because sometimes you'll meet someone who seems to have it all -- the success, the wealth, adventure and good health, but what others don't see is what that person wants more than anything but doesn't have, is a soul mate or children to share it with.

Someone you know may have a devoted relationship with his spouse and kids, enjoy good health and be surrounded by supportive friends, but he struggles to make ends meet every month and as soon as he makes an extra buck, an unexpected expense comes along to snatch it out from his wallet.

Behind every struggle and behind every accomplishment is a belief.

Beliefs are what we are made of and what determines our actions, which in turn, determine our results in life, business, relationships, health, etc.

Beliefs can come from someone else telling us their beliefs, so we take them as truth. They can originate from certain experiences we've lived or events we've witnessed or they can be taken on because we just never knew there were other possibilities.

The sad thing about leaving harmful beliefs unchecked is they create a negative ripple effect across your entire life experience.

For example, I have a millionaire colleague who started her own company as a teenager. She lives in a beautiful mansion, drives a snappy sports car, is gorgeous and as smart as a whip.

But she's unhappy beyond words. She wants a family more than anything else in this world.

Unfortunately, she has a belief that she will never find true love and settle down. She recently went on a date and just a few hours prior told me she didn't want to go because she knew he wouldn't like her.

She tells herself that she's old (she's 29), and that after any man meets her, she will never hear from him again.

How do you think that belief played out over the course of the date?

You got it -- those thoughts created a self-fulfilling prophecy for her.

Every time she puts herself through this, she remains in bed until almost noon for a week, drags herself into the office where her employees are carrying the extra workload, and reminds herself how she was right all along, reinforcing the destructive belief.

She has cemented that belief deeply into her subconscious and refuses to let go. Can you see how this will play out over the remainder of her life and how it's impacting her business? Unfortunately, only she has the power to change that belief. No one else can do it for her.

There are two beliefs that will cripple you every time -- to believe you are not capable of something and to believe you are not worthy of love.

How many times were you told when you were young that you weren't able to do certain things because you were too small, too young, too slow, not strong enough, not smart enough, or because you make too many mistakes?

Or that kids should be seen and not heard - so you never developed your confidence to voice an opinion, ask for help or challenge a statement.

What kind of beliefs do you hold that are holding you back in your life or business?

Perhaps ...

• I have to do everything myself because no one else knows how

• There is no one to help me

• I'm too old to learn something new

• Maybe if I was younger and had more energy

• No one cares what I think

• They're a lot smarter than I am

• I'm not nearly as good as they are

• I can't make a difference

• Why should I bother, someone else will just beat me to it

• I blend in with the wallpaper at social events

• I have nothing to offer

When you find yourself struggling, take a few minutes and ask yourself what belief(s) might be blocking you. Get someone to help you with this exercise and once you've identified them, ask yourself, "What kind of beliefs would I have to adopt to turn this around?

Make new statements using these new beliefs and repeat them to yourself several times a day.

For example:

• I have a lot of great ideas that benefit others

• People love to hear my ideas and seek me out for advice

• I have access to everything I need to succeed at home-based business

The good news is you can tell yourself anything repeatedly and it will become a belief, which in turn, will guide the decisions and actions you take. Knowing this, why not make your beliefs things that empower you?

Your mind is a powerful computer and you are the master programmer. You can create anything you want for yourself -- you just have to believe.