We live in a culture where people hold their values, knowledge, and opinion as their beliefs, which leads to their truth. However, having your beliefs based on your personal feelings is the quickest way to get hurt. That is because we live in a fact-based reality. Though the world is trying to shift to thinking creatively and imaginatively, we have to accept an everyday basis of what is true and what is not. This way of thinking can be viewed as a personal view, a scientific view, or a changing with-time view. I will tell you about belief vs. opinion that one will lead you to your more authentic self while one will act as an anchor in your life. Today’s blog will talk about the difference between belief and opinion and tell you how to use both effectively.

When it comes to belief vs. opinion, we are faced with a dilemma. Can a belief be my opinion? The simple short answer is yes. Your beliefs are a make-up of your environment, behavior, and values/character. The fine line difference between belief and opinion is that your makeup does not influence your opinion. That means that if you grew up in a bad area and saw violence as a child. You will have different beliefs about your childhood. You might say how your childhood has been traumatic and blame your circumstances for your outcome. This is your belief. Your opinion on what went on in your environment and what can or should be done about it is your opinion.

Though the two words deal with a particular mental state, it is up to us to steer our minds. The opinion does not have to have any data or facts to back it up. Your beliefs can be lies that you tell yourself repeatedly, but for the most part, your beliefs will be a truth you created in the life you have lived. That means your beliefs should be different than mine. Though we can share similar beliefs, it does not mean we will get along. The reason why is that people have difficulty dissecting their beliefs and opinions from each other. As long as people cannot tell the differences between the two, we will have a conflict.

The conflict stems from people having an opposing viewpoint from another person. I am not sure when it all began, but people started to get angry at someone else’s opposing beliefs. People began to see others who were different from them, so the natural response was to stay away from these types of people. People choose to hate and or stay away from people with opposing beliefs because it challenges their truths. If you know anything about the human mind, you will understand that people do not like to be alone with their minds, and the mind does not want to be challenged by contradicting data/information.

If the brain had to spend time thinking and analyzing what is true and false, we would have an influx of people in mental institutions. That is because the brain does not like change. Though people can train the mind to become humble and open, thinking and formulating is an advanced way of thinking. Most people cannot see what’s around the corner, let alone what they should be doing now. This conundrum puts the mind in a frenzy and gets ahold of control again. After some conscious or subconscious deduction, the mind will tell you a set of truths and give you a belief to follow.

Though this belief is just a basis of your education and knowledge base, you can understand that there would be many holes that are not filled in. That means your beliefs and values need to be filled to become solid. That is where opinion comes in. People will fill in the cracks of their disbelief with opinions, and eventually, it becomes part of the foundation, which becomes your truth. Now, your truth does not make it the truth for everyone. It is difficult to accept certain things, so instead of accepting the truth, we fight it and create an excuse to become part of our belief; when we do that, we give the mind a reason. That reason will include holding faith and continuing to follow the path, whether right or wrong.

I find it most interesting between belief and opinion because if other people have similar beliefs or views, it becomes opinion. Beliefs state that something is true, and this is regarding whether it is true or a person holds it as their truth. I find this common when a marriage is falling apart. Either one or both party members have inherent hate toward the other person. That person will say everything this person is doing wrong and create a laundry list of reasons why the marriage is doomed. When I go into these situations, it is typically too late to save the marriage because it is hard to change when opinion turns into belief. However, when beliefs turn to opinions, there is still a way to alter thinking.

Why is it that I can change beliefs that turn into opinions, but I cannot change opinions that turn into beliefs? The answer is a bit complex, but the reason is that opinion can be based solely on a person’s mindset. I can tell you one thing, and a colleague of mine can tell you another thing that may be the opposite of what I said. Now, you are faced with choosing to believe my colleague or me. If you side with one or the other, the opposing view must become wrong or inappropriate for you to solidify your newfound data. The crazy thing is that the data you choose does not even have to be factual truth; it just has to resonate and become your truth to adopt it.

If that is the case, we can fill our minds with negative or false ways of thinking. This is the base for the creation of limiting beliefs and fanaticism. That means that people will become almost crazed, think of mob mentality, and they will be unable to see the truth behind any reason. This is especially true for people who buy into a belief so profoundly that they cannot see an opposing view without enacting an emotional response to the information. This trigger stemmed from the difference between beliefs and opinions. Though a person can alter their current way of thinking, it will require much energy, focus, and effort to make it happen.

I know firsthand how difficult it is to rewire a brain that has been going in a completely different direction. The beliefs and opinions of the person must be dismantled, and when that happens, it feels like the person’s world is crumbling around them. They have to challenge all they say and believe in getting to the next level. That level will be a newer version of themselves. This version is typically better because the person now has no outside influence to determine what type of life and mindset they want. The beliefs and opinions they once held will no long be shackles on their body. The person can decide what will become their new beliefs and their new opinions. At that point, they can keep them separate because they will not have to use opinions to fill in the gaps where their beliefs are lacking.

In conclusion, beliefs vs. opinions will be the process that many people in our current society that people must work through to find the absolute truth. This fundamental truth will not be the truth you believe alone but will be irrevocably the truth the world sees. If you present the truth to people who do not want to see the truth, they will remain blind to it. However, if a person is primed and ready for change, the individual can see and attain the truth. All a person needs to do is seek and adopt the truth to shine a light on all the lies they have been told all their life. Will you keep your beliefs as they are? Will you allow opinions to influence the outcome of your life? Whichever road you take will determine your future.

Until then,

Michel Rearden

Founder of Reven LLC.