Review of Master Your Beliefs. A book by Thibaut Meurisse

Master Your Beliefs: A Practical Guide to Stop Doubting Yourself and Build Unshakeable Confidence, by Thibaut Meurisse

This book caught me. I was researching my Kindle library and the Kindle store for books covering the topic of limiting beliefs when It popped out. I read about the author, and I read some reviews about the book, so I decided to open it and try. I have Kindle Unlimited, and Thibaut let Master Your Belief be available under the program.

I soon caught myself reading and reading and reading. It is a page-turner, at least for people interested in the subject. What is the matter? It deals with a significant issue, limiting beliefs and overcoming them to get the best we want out of our lives.

The book comprises of five parts: The first, The Nature of Beliefs, introduces what a limiting belief is; the second part, Identifying Your Limiting Beliefs, provides the readers with the tools needed to find out whether or not they have a limiting belief operating in the background of their mental system and how to overcome it by integrating new, empowering ones. The third part, Building Fundamental Beliefs, is dedicated to the core beliefs that each of us should consider and make as our North Star in organizing our lives. In the fourth part, The Belief Formula, the author shares with the readers the belief formula he envisages as successful in changing our belief system and thriving in our lives. That is empowering environment, repeated actions, intense desire, willingness to face discomfort. Part 5, Sustaining Belief Long Term, focuses on shifting our thinking from short to long term, keeping our emotions cool.

The book is well written, the concepts are all top-notch, and it is clear that Thibaut did a lot of research to come up with such a fast reading book. The author is part of the book, as he talks about his own experiences and challenges and shares the ways he behaved to overcome them with the reader. That is a valuable piece of info as many times, these kinds of books lack real-life examples, leaving the readers to figure out how to apply the concepts exposed in their everyday lives. At the end of each paragraph, the book contains action steps and questions that help comprehend the ideas told and work well as an auto-diagnosis tool.

Parts I liked the most? Well, many, especially when the author shares his experiences openly. For example, I bring you to page 22 of my Kindle, where Thibaut writes: “… by cultivating unshakeable belief, almost anything I envisioned and genuinely desired was possible. The only job left to do was to “purify” my mind by: Eliminating self-doubt, and Replacing it with thoughts of confidence, courage, and certainty.”

If you follow me to page 40, you have a piece of advice from Thibaut that I agree with: “… don’t let other people tell you why you can or cannot do. Their opinion is irrelevant. If I had waited for other people’s stamp of approval to start writing, I would still be waiting. When I started my career, I had no writing degree, I didn’t know anyone in the industry, and I wasn’t even writing in my mother tongue. Yet, from my perspective, my goal was realistic.”

In the second part of the book, Identifying Your Limiting Beliefs, the author says: “… I decided to create a new identity. I chose to embody the writer I aspired to be and began to introduce myself accordingly”. At that time, the author was limiting himself as a short storyteller rather than a published author. He decided to change by changing what he thought he was and introducing himself as such.

In the third part, Building Fundamental Beliefs, he states clearly that: “Understanding your thoughts will shape your reality. You will strive to cultivate better thoughts rather than continue blaming people or circumstances for your failures.” This piece deals with responsibility and accountability. Changing your beliefs also means changing your level of maturity. The more you are conscious of your thoughts, the more you realize that what happens around you is their consequence. Thoughts repeatedly thought produce beliefs that in exchange will produce thoughts that will reinforce them, making events, compliant to them, happen.

In the fourth part, the author introduces The Belief Formula, which is the sum of empowering environment, repeated actions, intense desire, and willingness to face discomfort. About empowering environment, he writes: “… during the years I tried to make it as a blogger and writer, I kept filling my mind with positivity every day. This enabled me to maintain a positive attitude and keep persevering. Today, I still feed my mind with positivity on a consistent basis.” The key concept here is positivity. You have to surround yourself with positive thoughts, people, and things or get rid of the opposite.

Repeated actions are those rituals you need starting to get your system stick with empowering beliefs. Thibaut’s rituals are as follows: “… my morning ritual included: getting out of bed immediately and smiling, meditating for twenty minutes, drinking two glasses of water, stretching, practicing gratitude, and writing for at least forty-five minutes.” This chapter is the cornerstone of the book; you have all the needed ingredients to spark a change that lasts. Of course, you need to have a burning desire to do what you envisage and the right amount of gut to get out of your comfort zone.

The fifth part, Sustaining Belief Long Term, covers what it takes to make your new empowering beliefs lasting over time. There is an excellent piece of advice, shifting your view from the short term to the long term so that everything seems achievable. In his words: “While many authors put a couple of books out and give up in the absence of positive results, I paced myself, writing and publishing books consistently month after month. In short, while other writers were sprinting, I was running a marathon - and I was firmly committed to finishing the race.” Emotions also play a crucial role in making your beliefs last; that is why you should avoid taking any decision when in a negative mood and always should look for the goal and the long-term plan.

The book is straightforward to read, full of concepts that can help us improve our perceptions of ourselves and the reality surrounding us. We are what we think about, and this book tells you how many ways our thoughts can determine our success or failure.

Happy reading!