David Gousset
Your earliest childhood memories probably include instances when you lacked fear and followed your curiosity to places you now wouldn’t dare. However, as you grew older, you were exposed to an endless array of guidelines for what to say, how to behave, and what to do. You most certainly developed limiting beliefs due to this, and perhaps you failed to reach your full potential. While there are some rules you must follow, you mustn’t prevent yourself from enjoying a fulfilling life. This article will help you to recognise and overcome your limiting beliefs.
What Are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are the stories we tell ourselves about who we are that hold us back from becoming who we are meant to be. These beliefs limit us from reaching our full potential. They are often subconscious – we don’t even know that we have them until someone points them out to us.
Tony Robbins
A belief is nothing more than a conviction about what something signifies. It can seem so sure because we have been telling ourselves this tale unconsciously all our lives, seeking evidence to support it. We find a ton of evidence because that’s what we’re looking for, and the more evidence we uncover, the more confident we become. This indicates that depending on the actual belief, we can generate more potential or constrain.
Where do Limiting Beliefs come from?
Numerous things can lead to limiting beliefs, but they all have the same root cause: your brain’s need to keep you safe from pain in the future. Limiting beliefs frequently begins at an early age and develops and changes throughout your life as you have new experiences. Limiting beliefs can stop positive new ideas from developing, whether because you’ve had a bad experience that has made you afraid of similar future experiences or what’s to come.
Every person takes the limits of their own field of vision for the limits of the world.
Arthur Schopenhauer
Understanding the reasoning behind your limiting beliefs and starting to manage them can be accomplished by identifying their root causes.
Family Beliefs
Your parents probably tried to instil principles and ideals in you growing up. These frequently resulted from their own familial convictions and ideals about how the world and you ought to be. It could include advice about choosing a profession, behaving appropriately, and interacting with people. Because of the beliefs they established in you, you may develop your own limiting views.
Education
Family, teachers, and friends all influence the information you take as truth. They both hold authoritative positions and frequently exchange knowledge, viewpoints, and worldviews. You are considerably more likely to believe what someone in authority tells you to be true when they are someone you respect.
Experiences
Particularly unfavourable events of this nature might significantly influence your limiting beliefs. It’s crucial to keep in mind that whatever inferences you draw from adverse events are only ever temporary.
How do you get rid of limiting beliefs?
It’s not always simple to get rid of limiting beliefs. We have them instilled in us firmly and frequently since childhood. However, you may learn how to crush your limiting beliefs once you realise what they are and how to spot them. You can finally realise your goals by integrating practical techniques for overcoming limiting beliefs into your daily life.
Step 1: Identification
How to identify your limiting beliefs? Defining and identifying limiting beliefs is the first step towards getting rid of them. Our limiting beliefs are notions about the world and ourselves that keep us from reaching our full potential. They restrict us in many ways, giving us the impression that we don’t merit success, that we’re not as good as others, and that everyone is out to get us. Typically, they fall into four categories:
About the world
These are preconceived notions about “how things are,” including the idea that you have no influence over your situation. One standard limitation is a lack of time. Denial is another limiting worldview, such as the idea that true love doesn’t exist. It’s tough to discover occupations that are fulfilling. One of the most challenging things we can accomplish is to change our limiting ideas, yet once we do, we are rewarded with unimaginable possibilities.
About other people
Limiting assumptions about other people involve being self-conscious. The limiting belief that underlies social anxiety is frequently, Others will think I’m X. Complete the sentence: uneasy, foolish, unlovable. This kind of limiting mindset, which holds that others will be disappointed or won’t love you if you don’t perform a specific way, is where perfection originates.
Entitled Beliefs
What if I told you that sometimes having limiting ideas can feel empowering? Often, justifications for avoiding progress and remaining in your comfort zone include thinking that the world owes you anything, that you are superior to others, or that people just “don’t get” you.
About yourself
Limiting beliefs about yourself arise when you believe you are naturally foolish or unlovable instead of caring what others think. Other prevalent self-beliefs include the notion that you are too young, ugly, or incapable of learning new skills. None of these statements is true. They are merely the tale you tell yourself, which you may modify.
Step 2: Take Responsibility
People rarely accept responsibility for their lives, which is the leading cause of their incapacity to attain their goals. They choose to think that things simply happen to them and that their circumstances are out of their control.
To learn how to overcome your limiting beliefs, you must develop an internal locus of control: the belief that life happens for you, not to you.
Tony Robbins
Your fate is ultimately decided by your actions. Events in life are frequently beyond our control, but we can control how we respond to them. No matter what, we can control our emotions, learn from mistakes, make better judgments, and move toward our objectives. Writing your personnal mission statement can be very helpful.
Step 3: Let go of Certainty
Why is it so difficult to get rid of limiting beliefs? We all seek assurance. Thus, that’s the explanation. Certainty can also be a barrier. You can’t leave the job you despise because of it. It’s what keeps you in unhealthily close friendships and familial interactions, as well as love partnerships. It’s the reason you never started your business or went on that trip to Paris.
Limiting beliefs are certainty’ closest friend, and Certainty kills dreams. Dream big rather than dwelling on what you’ll never accomplish. Use the rocking chair test to determine what you would regret most when you are old and grey and reflect on your life. That is an effective motivator for getting rid of limiting beliefs.
Step 4: Change your self-talk
However, negative self-talk often tells you why you can’t, don’t want to, or mustn’t do something. Your limiting beliefs can occasionally exist deep inside your subconscious. We constantly talk to ourselves, and the more we do so, the more we believe what we tell ourselves.
Taking note of how your “inner voice” communicates with you is the first step in overcoming limiting beliefs. What does it say when you fail or give up on a task? Does getting ready for a date or a night out with friends make you feel upbeat or depressed? Write down any unfavourable ideas, and then observe which ones recur. Those are your limiting beliefs. Make an effort to recognise these thoughts, stop them, and replace them with more empowering ones.
Letting go of limiting beliefs is crucial if you want to advance personally and achieve success in all spheres of your life. Your life is something you designed. Anything is possible for you. Stop allowing your limiting thoughts to hold you back.
5 most common Limiting Beliefs
Don’t Have Time
This might be true, but the truth is that if you keep saying the same thing, you’ll eventually start to believe it, which will prevent you from ever finding the time to do what you want. You can establish a belief that works for you rather than against you when you begin to view time for what it truly is—just a social construct. There is a quick and easy way to accomplish this:
- Use a dedicated app or a spreadsheet to track how you spend your time and be honest with yourself about the results.
- You’ll see patterns of behaviour that can cause you to get in your own way when you pay close attention to how you use your time. You can limit yourself by developing habits like starting with simple, repetitive activities or prioritising everyone else’s demands or requests.
- You can cultivate this new belief by making small changes in your behaviour. It’s simply a matter of choosing how to use it. You will soon realise that you always have enough time.
When you better understand how you spend your time, you can use Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix, the Weekly Review and The Circle of Influence to efficiently and more effectively manage it.
I Am Not Good Enough
This is arguably the most restrictive idea out there, and most of us can claim to have fallen victim to it at some point. We are sufficient for every person, circumstance, and opportunity that comes our way. But when our sense of security and assurance was in jeopardy at some point in our lives, we decided that wasn’t the case. We engage in patterns of conduct that are intended to safeguard us as a result of this experience and what we came to believe.
We all have a small voice that advises us not to do anything when we are ready to push ourselves beyond our comfort zones because it could be dangerous. This means we frequently put ourselves in our own way and miss out on chances, connections, and circumstances that could advance our goals.
Negotiating with your inner voice will help you to modify this. Although it may seem foolish or simplistic, it actually works. Do not forget that what we reject endures, and the more we attempt to silence the voice, the more persistent it will become. Begin by thanking the small voice and telling it you’re okay and that you’ll still give it a shot. You will develop greater confidence in yourself as you continually try new things and realise how competent you are in every situation.
Variations
- I am Not as Good as Them … This is a comparison-based self-limiting idea. We might become paralysed when we make comparisons to other people. Remind yourself that everyone is unique. This implies that every one of us has a distinct personality, various strengths, and innate abilities. It also means that every one of us has unique features that must be developed. Since nobody is excellent at everything, we can all readily complement one another in various ways.
- I am an Idiot … If making a mistake implies that you are a fool, you will refrain from undertaking activities where there is a possibility that you might fail. This can significantly restrict you from stepping outside your comfort zone, where you need to be. Making errors is a necessary element of success. If you’re like most of us, it usually takes you at least three tries to get something right. And with every error you commit, you get closer to the desired outcome.
I Can’t
This is among the most restrictive ideas you can think of since it eliminates any possibility that you could accomplish the activity you are telling yourself you can’t. You start to trust this assertion more and more the more you say it. Your subconscious mind responds to what you tell it because it is constantly listening. Some people have even said they physically feel obstructed when responding in this way.
Because you always have a choice, there is no such thing as I can’t. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, and even if you lack the necessary abilities now, you can still pick them up. Convey the word “yet” at the end of your sentence to add potential if you genuinely feel that you can’t at this time.
Variations:
- I Can’t Because I Am Not … When “I am” is used as the first word in the justification, it gives the limitation even more strength. The most self-limiting notion you could have is what’s known as an identity belief. You are saying something about yourself, your identity, and who you think you are when you say, “I am.”
- I Can Never Do This … When we use generalisations, such as always, everything, and never, we eliminate any scenarios in which the opposite is true. If you constantly remind yourself that you are incapable of doing something, you will avoid it at all costs in the future because it doesn’t feel good. You will give yourself more opportunities to develop your capabilities and realise your full potential when you change this belief to I haven’t succeeded in doing this yet and then plan small steps to demonstrate that you can.
- I am too old, I am too young …
I Will Be Judged
We frequently prevent ourselves from doing new activities because we worry that others will criticise us and find something wrong. We tend to focus on our fears, and the more we do this, the more cases of individuals judging us we will see. Most of the time, people don’t think anything about you. Like you, they are more focused on how they perceive or feel about themselves. Therefore, you have no power over what they think or feel.
When you perceive that you are being criticised by others, it is most likely only a reflection of your own opinions and judgments about yourself.
I Have Failed
If you tell yourself that you have failed repeatedly, you will finally quit trying. Because it is closely related to the idea that you are a failure and makes you less likely to take risks that can make you feel that way about yourself later, believing that you have failed is incredibly stigmatising.
Consider the incident as a lesson to be learned rather than telling yourself you failed. Consider what you can take away from it and how you can apply the advice to help you in the future. Remember that you believe something to be true more strongly the more you repeat it.
Conclusion
The first step in regaining your control is to recognise and accept the self-limiting beliefs you have. You must eliminate those beliefs that are restricting you in any way. Blame can keep you motionless for years, undermine your self-esteem, and even set you back. You can attain lasting success from the inside out by working on your personal belief system. This is the path to real empowerment and prosperity, where you will realise your full potential and gradually realise that life has no boundaries. Please be sure to look for new opportunities at a trustworthy source.
Getting over self-limiting beliefs takes a lot of work and persistence; it doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll probably go through it several times, and as was already mentioned in this post, that’s entirely typical for people. Your self-confidence increases as you overcome each limiting belief and become more robust. David Gousset.
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