When a thought holds you back from doing what you really want to do…what you would surely do if there was nothing to stop you, then that thought is a limiting belief. And it’s absolutely possible to get rid of limiting beliefs because they are essentially assumptions based on some experiences we had which is limiting what we think is possible.
1. How to identify limiting beliefs
Every choice and decision we make is based in some kind of belief and most of our beliefs work at a subconscious level, which means we are normally not aware of them influencing what we choose. And so, the very first thing is to know how to identify your limiting beliefs.
Now, there can be different degrees of self-limiting beliefs, but the ones really worth investing our time, energy, effort are the ones that are holding us back from getting what we want in life. And a very good place to start is
- noticing a resistance or regret, and
- following the ifs and buts in those thoughts.
Also, it’s good to remember that not all beliefs that limit us are actually bad. Like being smart. If you believe you are smart, it’s a good thing if it makes you confident in your ability to learn new things and handle any situation confidently.
But it can also hold us back if we think being smart means always being right, never needing to learn anything new because being smart means knowing everything. This stops us from exploring promising new opportunities because they might show everyone that we don’t know everything and so “not smart”.
It’s then that it becomes a limiting belief.
2. A very important step
Once we have uncovered a limiting belief, the next logical step is to find its power source, what’s making it tick.
So, how do limiting beliefs work?
See, beliefs are just ideas that got validated by how we interpret any situation connected with that. If we interpret the situation in a way that shows us coming out looking good, it becomes an empowering belief. And if it shows us lacking in something, it becomes a limiting belief and so we go on to explain another non-flattering situation as “because I am not this enough or that enough, so I got this result.”
And this experience validates the unhelpful idea a bit more securely. It then turns into a non-ending loop and the limiting belief starts to subconsciously guide our choices.
Our experiences validating an unhelpful idea… whether about ourselves or the world in general… is what gives power to those self-limiting beliefs. They are the batteries that we need to dismantle. And to find these experiences, ask
“How do I know this is true?”
whenever you find a thought holding you back from what you really want.
3. Get rid of limiting beliefs
Now, it’s time to dismantle the source of power, break the limiting beliefs loop.
And here’s where our brain’s neuroplasticity comes in. To know how to use this to overcome limiting beliefs, watch the video up top.
Meet you there.
