Become the Best Version of Yourself
“We learn our belief systems as very little children, and then we move through life creating experiences to match our beliefs. Look back in your own life and notice how often you have gone through the same experience.” Louise L. Hay
Limiting beliefs are thoughts which marinate in your brain and hold you back from doing the things you truly want to do. It’s the negative self-talk that stops you every time you try to push yourself out of your comfort zone. It may be a discouraging thing someone said to you in the past that you can’t seem to let go of. They are beliefs which limit what YOU believe is possible for you.
Generally, we hold onto self-limiting beliefs to protect ourselves from struggles, hurts and perceived failure.
It would be like an athlete racing on the track as fast as they can with a ball and chain around their ankle. It would wear them out so quickly, right? Eventually, it would cause a deep wound and it would hurt. We would be telling them “you can do so much more if you didn’t have that ball and chain around your ankle.”
Self-limiting beliefs are a ball and chain around us. It holds us back from our potential, wounds us and keeps us from living a full life!
“Disregarding thoughts take awareness and acute attention. Many people don’t realize that every thought that pops into their heads isn’t true… this inability to distinguish false beliefs from true beliefs may lead to painful emotions, even though they are self-created. Negative emotions …are no longer helpful when they begin to take precedence over rational thinking and joyful living.” (Mike Oppland, PositivePsychology.com)
Have ever been duped by false advertising? You pick up a “healthy” item in the grocery store that says it is “all natural and no sugar.” However, when you read the label, you see sugar is in the item, just under a different name and the ingredients are long and difficult to pronounce (most likely unhealthy). False advertising. To me self-limiting beliefs are like false advertising. It creates a negative thought environment like, “I am unworthy, not smart, lonely, invisible, etc.”
Did you know that most people have between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts a day? Wow, how many of those are true beliefs and how many are false beliefs?
Have you ever taken the time to reflect on the experiences you have had in your life and thought about how they have shaped your current beliefs? We have beliefs grounded in fact, and beliefs grounded in emotion and life experience. For some, our beliefs started as children from influential people like our parents, family members and others. Think about your political beliefs or religious beliefs. Do you believe that way because of mom and dad’s beliefs? I know I did. Ask yourself “why do I believe this way or why haven’t I explored my beliefs more?”
Steps to Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs
1. What are some of the self-limiting beliefs you say about yourself? Write them down. Next to each one, write down an opposite truth, something positive to replace the old.
2. Don’t be like anyone else, be you and be the person God created you to be.
3. Pick one or two of your many amazing gifts within you and focus on them; stir them up on the inside of you and look for ways to share them with others.
4. Ask yourself, “How is this belief serving me?” “What if I'm wrong about these limiting beliefs?”
5. Create alternative beliefs, change the story. Instead of saying, “this is impossible,” start saying, “it is possible.”
DON’T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT !
Would you like to know how others abolish self-limited thinking? I have asked some entrepreneur friends to share from their toolbox the tools they use to abolish self-limiting beliefs.
Travis Crutcher, www.aboveaverageleadership.com / “My experience IS what validates my expertise!”
Bernadette Johnson, www.bernadettejohnson.com / “I use 4 questions I learned over 20 years ago.” (1) What do I really, really, really want for myself out of this interaction? {this makes me honor myself and what I bring to the table} (2) What do I really, really, really want for the other person out of this interaction? {this has nothing to do with my wishes and it makes me 'show up' with humanity} (3) What do I really, really, really want for the relationship? (4) If I wanted these things, how would I "show up"?
Maureen O’Neill, https://about.me/maureenoneill / “I think the trickiest part is noticing a self-limiting belief in the first place. At first it just feels like a fact! “I’m always late” feels like a fact, it takes sniffing around to recognize it as a self-limiting belief. Then I wonder “where does this belief come from?” So I remember that version of me and think, “oh you poor thing. You tried so hard.” Because I really did… then I have lots of compassion on myself. That is probably the most important part… compassion, compassion, compassion.”
Ray Tadgerson, former CEO/President at Tadgerson Consulting / “Often my mind gets distracted with all that is going on; and at times I find self-doubt and fear creeping in. I then turn to my faith and belief which provides strength to keep moving forward. The Word provides the guidance I need to limit the self-limiting!”
Joe Van Haecke, https://inspirememrv.com / “Everything you've done, every win, every setback, every challenge, every victory, has prepared you for this moment, right now. You were made for this!”
Jeff Meister, https://www.lifeuntucked.net / “Spend a few minutes on the social media platform of your choice, if you can't scale that bar then it's possible that your limiting beliefs are valid 🤔 I know, OUCH!”
Michael Johnson, https://thebigliferevolution.com / “I do my best to fill my mind with positive reinforcement, while driving, working out and even quiet resting. As I listen, I hear things that stir me and sometimes make me uncomfortable about some part of my life and thinking. I take those things and force myself to address that discomfort in a positive way to help change my thinking process! I have found that I don't come up with the ideas to change my life myself. I lean on other people and sources to give me the nudge and sometimes it's a whack over the head with a 2 x 4...”
