What is a core belief? A core belief is usually an unconscious belief that we have about ourselves, and unfortunately most of the time they are negative. Since doing this kind of work I have discovered that almost everyone I know who uncovers their own core belief, finds out that they have some kind of feeling of “not good enough” or “unworthiness”. It is quite startling to find that out and that is why I say it is usually an unconscious belief. We think we are doing ok, or our lives will get better but deep down we are blocking the good coming in, because somehow we feel we don’t deserve it.
My core belief was that I wasn’t good enough or important enough. And because of that belief I had gone through some very painful experiences. Of course I didn’t realize at the time I was attracting these experiences into my life. It was very easy to blame it on everything and everyone else. I realized that the only way to heal all of this was to take total responsibility for my life and my choices. This is not about blame, if you blame yourself it just gives you another reason to feel bad and continue attracting more of same.
We can believe that we are worthless, yet know logically that this is simply not true. Unfortunately, what we unconsciously believe will rule every time. Hence the saying, “because you believe it, that makes it so”. These unconscious internal untruths must be brought into consciousness where they can be questioned, examined and finally released.
Where does this internal dialogue come from? The things we tell ourselves in any given moment are, most often, a reflection of some old belief we picked up along the way. We go through life unconsciously repeating these core beliefs, like a negative mantra. Over and over we repeat them thus reinforcing them, until they manifest themselves in non-productive, yet familiar, life themes. They formulate themselves into painful, very limited story-lines that we buy into as the definition of who we believe ourselves to be. We live out these core beliefs; this fictionalized version or story of who we are. Then we continue to reinforce the belief of unworthiness and the cycle continues.
Until we become aware of it and challenge its falsehood, we will continue to act as if it is true. As long as these negative beliefs about ourselves operate beneath the surface of our consciousness, they will go on limiting and ruling our lives, making us miserable. Only truly understanding them and where they come from, can we redirect their energy. This means choosing not to act on those old worn out beliefs. Being conscious is the way to healing, and finally attracting exactly what you desire.
Melisa Caprio
Photographer and Artist
Creator, Postcards to the Universe™
Melisa Caprio, the eldest of three young women, was born in New Jersey. When Melisa turned eleven, she moved with her family to South Florida. Melisa graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Originally majoring in Journalism, she took a photography class and discovered her true passion.
After graduation, Melisa traveled and photographed in Europe for a few months. On returning to South Florida, she and a fellow photographer collaborated, opening a photography gallery in Hollywood, Florida, showing her European travel photography. They specialized in exhibiting their own and others’ photography; having juried exhibitions featuring local artist for openings to market their work. Melisa and her partner owned and managed the gallery for two years, closing it to concentrate on developing their individual photography expertise.
While focusing her photography on documenting one of her younger sisters with special needs, she was asked to become the staff photographer of Dolphin Human Therapy in Key Largo, Florida. At Dolphin Human Therapy, the focus of the program was to use dolphins as a motivator to help children with developmental challenges. The program was a huge success, and Melisa stayed with the company for seven years photographing the children’s interactions with the dolphins five days a week. She amassed thousands of images during that time. That work has been widely published portraying that population.
In her last year there, many things conspired in Melisa’s life to change her course. Dolphin Human Therapy closed its doors and moved out of the country. She and her husband divorced, and Melisa lost her home. After going through a difficult period of grieving and loss, Melisa started taking courses in life-coaching, spirituality and healing. During that time, she discovered the Law of Attraction, and realized how she attracted everything that came into her life, both the good and bad.
Inspired by her new awareness, her website, blog, and book, Postcards to the Universe™, was born. Postcards to the Universe is an artistic creation–using photography, affirmations, Law of Attraction, and finally, the power of manifestation. Melisa is using her photography images to create postcards; those postcards will be used for anyone who wants to create and manifest their affirmations by writing their affirmation on the back of the postcard. Melisa will take the affirmation the person writes on the postcard and ask them to send it to her. By sending the postcard, the sender is declaring and requesting the manifestation of their affirmation from the universe. Then, in return, the universe will respond in kind— this is how the Law of Attraction works. Melisa will photograph that postcard and affirmation in the person’s own words. If the postcard is chosen, it will be featured on her blog and in her book, Postcards to the Universe™. She will then follow-up and feature how they manifested their desires using Law of Attraction.
This is book one in a series that will continue to grow as an artistic venture using photography, art and the Law of Attraction—connecting all people as they see how dreams and desires are possible for everyone.