26 Aug Break Free From Limiting Beliefs That Hold You Back
Beliefs are stories we tell ourselves about why we can and can’t do certain things in life. They are not based on fact, and often remain unchallenged throughout life. They are defined as ‘a principle accepted as true or real, without proof, an opinion, a conviction’.
This definition is broader than simply thinking about beliefs in the religious sense. Beliefs play an important part in forming your identity, self-image, behaviour and habitual ways of thinking. Some beliefs help you to succeed in life while other negative beliefs can keep you shackled.
LIMITING BELIEFS
Limiting beliefs are the thoughts and ideas that are no longer challenged that hinder your progress. This is because every thought, expectation and action are a direct result of what you believe. They shape the direction of your life and have the power to create or ruin your progress.
Deepak Chopra suggests that“We each have an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day”.
That’s a lot of thoughts! Research suggests around 80%of these thoughts are negative. Talk about creatures of habit!But he continues:“ Unfortunately, many of them are the same thoughts we had yesterday, last week, and last year. The mind tends to get stuck in repetitive thought loops that squeeze out the possibility for new ideas and inspiration.”
If we take an average and then break that down: 70,000 thoughts = 3000 per hour = 50per minute = just under one per second, with 80% being negative, that’s a lot of destructive mind chatter! Is it any wonder we struggle to achieve the things we want out of life, and if we do, then don’t enjoy them?
A significant portion of my client base consists of ambitious and high-performing women who excel at achieving their career and business goals. However, they often find themselves out of alignment with their inner core due to beliefs that do not support their outward success, resulting in dissatisfaction and inner conflict. Addressing this issue has become a key focus of my coaching work.
Limiting beliefs lie to you and distort your picture of the world and your place within it; holding these beliefs can have a significant impact on various aspects of your life. Here are some of the most common consequences:
THE IMPACT OF HOLDING LIMITING BELIEFS
- Self-Limitation: Limiting beliefs can hold you back from realising your full potential.They create self-imposed boundaries and restrict your ability to explore new opportunities, take risks, or step outside your comfort zone. As a result, you may miss out on personal and professional growth and remain in a stagnant state.
- Fear and Anxiety: Limiting beliefs often stem from fear and insecurity. They canamplify anxiety and make you hesitant to pursuegoals or aspirations. Fear offailure, rejection, or judgment can prevent you from taking necessary actionsand hinder your progress.
- Underachievement: Limiting beliefs can undermine your confidence and self-esteem, leading to underachievement. When you believe you are incapable orunworthy, you may set lower goals or settle for less than you deserve. This canhinder your success in various areas of life, such as career, relationships, andpersonal development.
- Missed Opportunities: Holding limiting beliefs can cause you to overlook or dismiss opportunities that align with your goals and values. You may convince yourself that certain possibilities are beyond your reach or that you’re not deserving of them. Consequently, you may miss out on experiences, connections, and achievements that could have enriched your life.
- Negative Self-Talk and Self-Sabotage: Limiting beliefs often manifest as negative self-talk, where you constantly criticise and doubt yourself. This negative inner dialogue can erode yourself-confidence and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.It may lead to self-sabotaging behaviours, where you unconsciously undermine your own success or happiness.
- Reduced Resilience: Limiting beliefs can weaken your resilience in the face of challenges and setbacks. When you believe that failure is inevitable or that you lack the necessary skills, you may become discouraged easily and give up too soon. Over time, this can hinder your ability to bounce back from adversity and obstruct your personal growth.
- Impact on Relationships: If you hold beliefs about unworthiness or distrust, you may struggle to form deep connections or maintain healthy boundaries. Yourself-imposed limitations may also prevent you from fully expressing yourself and sharing your true thoughts and emotions with others.
WHERE DO LIMITING BELIEFS COME FROM?
Many strongly set beliefs are formed in childhood and teenage years. They can come from any person or thing that has the capacity to exert influence over you.
According to psychiatrist Eric Berne, by 12-years-old our key beliefs are formed and lived out daily; parents, deliberately or unaware, teach their children from birth how to be have, think and perceive. Liberation from these influences is no easy matter, since they are deeply ingrained.
By adulthood, self-image is a collection of all the lifetime attitudes and opinions that have been received from others. Your self-image creates the belief of who you are. The most important belief a person will ever hold is the belief they hold about themselves.
Have you heard the story about the elephant and the chain?
When an elephant is young, if the keeper puts a chain around its leg to stop it moving too far, at first, it will try to break free. After several attempts the elephant will realise that every time it tries to move away it is painful and will eventually stop trying to escape and give in, spending the rest of its life restricted and restrained.The elephant never realises that as it grows older and stronger if it tried to break the chain again it could escape, and so never attempts this. Even once its shackles are removed, the elephant will not try to move away. WHY? Because it doesn’t believe it can. Unchallenged limiting beliefs can hold you in the same place.
Do you fear or avoid trying because you believe something is beyond your reach? Can you identify the invisible chain around your ankle?
Did you fail at something or have a bad experience in the past and believe that it is not possible for you to ever succeed again in that area? Do you make excuses about why you should maintain a position and stay in your comfort zone?
It is impossible to achieve anything without believing you actually can first; and this is why it is crucial to understand and master the realm of beliefs in your own life.Succeeding here will pave the way for you to really take control and break free from obstacles that may have impeded you for years on your path of life. Revealing, examining and challenging your beliefs will help to uncover part of your true identity to live an authentic and purposeful life. Your goals and achievements will be aligned with your true desires.
WORKING ON LIMITING BELIEFS:
- Unlocks your subconscious mind – revealing unknown limiting beliefs and holding them up to scrutiny
- Reveals the ways your limiting beliefs have been most damaging to you
- Challenges the origins of these beliefs
- Reframes your beliefs to be consistent with who YOU really are – creating alignment with your values and goals
- Achieves greater control over your life and desired direction =TRUE EMPOWERMENT!
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Viktor E, Frankl
Do you want to find out more about how to overcome limiting beliefs?
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