What are limiting beliefs?
During your lifetime, you have created beliefs about yourself and the world around you. Beliefs created by past experiences, society, social media, and your interpretations of events or situations.
Unfortunately, often these beliefs can be negative and interfere with your personal growth and living the life you truly want. These are limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs can stop you in your tracks. They can cause fear and doubt and hold you back from reaching your goals. They are why you might feel stuck and sometimes don’t even realize why.
Luckily, there are ways to rewire your brain to overcome those sneaky limiting beliefs.
Here are 7 ways to overcome limiting beliefs and get yourself unstuck:
1. Identify the limiting belief
You can’t overcome a limiting belief if you don’t consciously know what it is. A belief may be so ingrained into your thought patterns that you don’t even realize it as it passes through your mind.
You’ve likely held on to this belief for a very long time, so it may take time to change it. Be patient with yourself while you dig deep to discover the thoughts that are holding you back.
-Pay attention to your thoughts. Analyze each thought over the next couple of days. Any negative thought that pops up, write it down.
-Some common limiting beliefs are: I’m too old, I guess I’m just unlucky, money is the root of all evil, I’m too shy, or this is just who I am and I can’t change it.
2. Determine if it is true
Once you have a list of your limiting beliefs, go through them one by one and ask, “Is this true 100% of the time?”. Has there been a time when it wasn’t true? What would happen if it was not true? How would that feel?
Focus on that feeling.
What would it feel like to not be shy, to be worthy of unconditional love, to start something new at your age?
3. Find evidence that it is not true
Look for evidence to prove that this limiting belief is not true 100% of the time.
Look at your past achievements and accomplishments, no matter how small they may have been.
Remember that time you got a promotion. Or the time you got the best grade in class. Or the time you played a role in the school play.
You’ve done hard things and overcome challenges and barriers. You can do it again.
4. Imagine it’s someone else’s belief
Sometimes it’s so hard to get outside of our own head. It might be easier to overcome limiting beliefs if you imagine it’s someone else’s.
What if it was your best friend or a loved one that held this limiting belief. What would you say to them?
What if your daughter looked in the mirror and said she wasn’t worthy of love? Heartbreaking!
Of course you know it’s not true when it’s someone else. You have to learn to give yourself the same grace you give to others.
Start showing compassion, kindness, and forgiveness to yourself during this exercise.
5. Use positive affirmations
Begin to replace your negative thoughts with positive affirmations. You’ll need to rewire your brain to change your thought patterns.
Target the areas of your life where you want to make the changes. Make the affirmations personal, positive, and present tense.
For example, I am confident and calm. I bring value to others and they enjoy connecting with me.
Repeat them regularly, either out loud or write them down. Make it a habit to review your affirmations several times a day.
6. Visualize success
Close your eyes and picture what your life will look like without limiting beliefs. How would you feel?
Delve into the feelings of removing those shackles and taking control of your life.
-Want to start a YouTube channel, but always labeled yourself as too shy?
Imagine yourself creating valuable content for your viewers. You’re confident and fearless, no longer too shy to do what you’ve always wanted to do.
Feel the excitement and enthusiasm of doing something you’ve always wanted, but never had the courage.
-Craving a loving relationship but always believed you were unworthy of love? Not anymore! Imagine spending time with your partner. They are kind and generous and love you unconditionally. How does that feel? Can you feel those warm and fuzzy feelings?
7. Track your successes
Keep a success journal and track your achievements, big or small, internal or external.
Celebrating even the smallest wins builds confidence. It will also show progress as you continue through your journey of self-improvement.
If you feel those limiting beliefs creeping back in, crack open your success journal and review your victories.
Overcoming limiting beliefs can be so, so hard to do. We’ve lived this way for years and trying to change now may be a challenge. But it’s a challenge worth working through.
Making these tiny but mighty shifts in your thinking can lead to big things!
