It is common for most of us to pass through phases of self-doubt where we become unaware of our full potential. But every time we allow our limiting beliefs to control us, we are one step back and away from our goals. As cliché as it may sound, you become what you believe. It is just not some motivational talk or a quote from a book, but rather a fact.
In case you have some but don’t actually know them, what are limiting beliefs?
It is a false perception we build about ourselves that blocks us from achieving things we actually can. Those limiting beliefs are all the kinds of negative self-talk and statements we keep repeating to ourselves over and over until we believe them and act upon them such as:
“I am not good with money.”
“I am not good at relationships.”
“This is the best it can get in my car, I can’t do better.”
“I never get new opportunities.”
“I have such bad luck in everything.”
And the list goes on and on…
What brings us to this thinking pattern and limiting beliefs?
• Past experiences where we have failed more than once that we begin to believe we are failures by nature and incapable of getting what we want.
• Constant negative talk and harsh criticism from those around us.
• Societal pressure since we are exposed to people oversharing their successes without talking about failures that we begin to believe that we are falling behind or incapable.
The problem is the more we keep on repeating these thoughts and affirming them, they become beliefs that we act upon. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves become ingrained in our thinking and accordingly our actions. However, you can help yourself break free from this vicious loop.
1. Listen closely to identify your limiting belief. Whenever you spot yourself repeating a negative thought, pause right there and acknowledge that this negative self-talk doesn’t define who you are and that one mishap is not the end of things.
2. Prove yourself otherwise. Once you identified a negative thought challenge it. Remind yourself of previous successes, times when you felt proud of yourself, and things you managed to accomplish no matter how small. This constant reminder will help rid you of all the things you falsely believed about yourself in times when you felt down.
3. Turn your negatives into positives. Instead of constantly telling yourself “I can’t..”, “I am not…” “I do not know how to….” repeat empowering affirmations such as “There must be another way to…” “I am able…” and “I can…”.
4. Try different approaches. To see different results, you need to change your approach. Maybe some things keep going wrong for you as a reminder that you need to change direction, work better in something, or unleash your full potential in an area you haven’t explored before.
5. Surround yourself with people who empower. The people we surround ourselves with play a big role in our lives. Instead of surrounding yourself with people who constantly pass harsh comments, let your company be those who inspire, motivate, and remind you of all the good things about you.
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