What causes self-limiting beliefs?
The number one thing that is going to hold you back from achieving your biggest goals, dreams, ambitions and everything that you want in your life is, without a doubt, your self-limiting beliefs. You might be thinking that it's "fear", but they're very closely related. Let's say for example you have the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of what others think of you, and the fear of putting yourself out there; all of these fears come from a perception in the mind of something that we think is going to happen in the future.
Now, this can often be from our past experiences. Some things leave emotional wounds and trigger us from the past pain. But ultimately, these fears, these perceptions, aren't real; they haven't happened yet. They're driven by our beliefs because of what's happened in the past. So, it's your belief that drives the behaviour, which creates the results in your life. Therefore, if you want to change any area of your life, you've got to overcome your self-limiting beliefs.
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What are self-limiting beliefs?
A self-limiting belief is a repetitive thought that you have repeated enough times over some time until it became a belief. So, it's the repetition of a thought that creates the belief in you. However, it works both ways – positively and negatively. Not every belief you have is going to be true. You've probably heard before that someone can tell themselves a lie enough times and they'll start to believe it.
Can you change self-limiting beliefs?
We now know that a belief is simply a repetitive thought pattern, so the question should be - can we change our thoughts? Of course, we can.
“Where focus goes, energy flows.” - Tony Robbins
Many of our daily thoughts are repetitive patterns that happen unconsciously. It's been suggested that approximately 95% of our daily thoughts are unconscious. So that leaves just 5% for conscious effort. When we take time to develop self-awareness and bring attention to what we’re doing, we can make a conscious choice to focus on something that we desire. As a result, this leads to positive changes and better results.
If you want to change your life, all you have to do is change your thoughts and beliefs. Now, I say, “all” you have to do, but it's not always as easy. I'm going to go through some of the main ways today that you can change your limiting beliefs or how they get changed so that you can ultimately change the results in your life and achieve the things that you want to achieve. Because your limiting beliefs are going to be holding you back.
Your beliefs shape your life
Throughout my own life, I can remember specific experiences and moments where I've noticed that my beliefs have shifted or at that moment, something happened to me so there was a big change in my identity and how I saw things.
There was a certain time when I was struggling many years ago and I was at University. I wasn't doing very well and I didn't particularly have a great experience in the traditional education system because quite frankly, I wasn't interested at the time. But one day, I switched my mind and said, "you know what, I'm gonna put everything into my last year" and I changed my results massively. That was a big paradigm shift for me. And what it told me was that when I decide I want to do something and I put my mind to it, I can achieve it. So, all of those things that people used to say you couldn't do... You can change it at any moment.
Another life-changing story that I've shared many times is when one of my close friends ended his life. It shifted my entire world. Where I was struggling at that time in my life, I didn't have any direction, I wasn't making much money, I hated my job, and I felt very lost. The struggles that many people go through led to me wanting to change my life. Through study, self-development and having mentors, I was able to do so. I often talk about Bob Proctor as one of my mentors. He helped me to shift my beliefs and transform my life.
How do I crush my limiting beliefs?
If you haven't already, grab yourself a copy of my free limiting belief worksheet.
The first way to change your limiting beliefs is to challenge them. And this is something that you can do daily. Challenge them by asking yourself, "Is this belief true?" And if it's not true, then you need to change it.
Now, you might be thinking, "Well, how do I know if it's true or not?" And that's a great question. And there are a few ways to do this.
Look for evidence.
If you believe that you're not: good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, rich enough, successful enough... Find evidence of this. Next, find evidence that supports the opposite. Look at the things that you've achieved in your life, that you're good at, and that you've accomplished. Use that as evidence to challenge your belief. If you believe that you're not good enough, but you have a history of achieving great things and you have talents and abilities that other people don't have, then that's evidence to challenge your belief that you're not good enough.
Test your beliefs.
Another way to challenge your beliefs is to test them. This means taking action and seeing what happens. If you believe that you can't achieve your goals because you're not good enough, test that belief by setting a goal and taking action toward achieving it. You'll realise that you can achieve your goal, despite your belief that you're not good enough.
Replace them.
This means taking the belief that is holding you back and replacing it with a belief that will empower you to take action and achieve your goals. For example, if you believe that you're not good enough, replace that belief with the belief that you are capable and worthy of achieving your goals. This new belief will give you the confidence and motivation to take action toward achieving your goals.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Surround yourself with positive influences. This means seeking out people, books, videos, and other resources that will reinforce empowering beliefs. some possible solutions could be finding a mentor, reading self-help books, listening to motivational speakers, or joining a support group. By surrounding yourself with positive influences, you will be exposed to new ideas and perspectives that can help you shift your beliefs.
How to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
In conclusion, your limiting beliefs are the number one thing that is holding you back from achieving your biggest goals, dreams, ambitions, and everything that you want in your life. To overcome your limiting beliefs, you need to challenge them and replace them with empowering ones. Compound these new beliefs with your actions and support system. Get around people who are going places. By doing these things, you will be able to shift your beliefs and change your life for the better.