A fortress protects you and makes you feel safe. A strongly held belief is a fortress. It protects your view of reality. You defend your fortress when you feel it’s under attack.But is every strongly held belief true?The sincerity of the believer does not determine the truth of the belief.Don’t panic, I’m not attacking your fortresses. I have no idea what you believe but I do know you have 4 categories of beliefs:1. Beliefs about GodIs he there or not? Does he care or not? Has he spoken to us or not? Is the future written or do you have free will? You have a belief.2. Beliefs about SelfAre you essentially good or basically bad? Are you broken or whole? Do you matter? You have a belief.3. Beliefs about OthersDo others give to you or take from you? Can they be trusted? What do you mean to them? You have a belief.4. Beliefs about CircumstancesDo you shape your circumstances or do they shape you? Will they get better or grow worse? What do you really deserve? You have a belief.Is there a chancethat one of your beliefs is wrongand your fortress has become a prison?I’m not a motivational speaker. I’m a business consultant. Stay with me.Frances Frei of Harvard Business School says you cannot change a person’s behavior until you change their beliefs. I agree with her.Feelings are the products of actions.Actions are the products of beliefs.Ms. Frei teaches business owners how to change the behavior of employees by changing what employees believe.I teach how to change the behavior of customers by changing what customers believe. But in each instance, the first change of belief must happen in the heart of the business owner.Are you up for it?Roy H. Williams