I think I understand something more deeply now. Limiting beliefs and low-frequency emotions such as anger, jealousy, or embarrassment will inspire ideas and actions that will continue to feed outward circumstances that match the belief or emotion.
The reverse is true as well, of course, and this is yet another reason why cultivating states such as serenity, compassion, and love through meditation or any other practice is so beneficial. Five minutes of compassion is good not only in and of itself but it is also five fewer minutes spent in irritation, manipulation, or resentment. Five fewer minutes being lead by those emotions, and less time and energy spent on having to deal with the consequences of the words and actions they inspired.