Have you ever felt like you're too old to start something? You know you're not living up to your potential but you have so many doubts that you can't start or change anything. Have you ever felt like you don’t deserve to be loved? You know it isn’t true but when you look in the mirror and when you think about the things you’ve done, you can’t help but dislike parts of yourself.
Many of us appear to be drawn to the idea of starting over and making a clean slate. The challenge, though, is that we tend to repeat the same mistakes or to hold on to beliefs and practices that are no longer serving us.
Our core values are the product of our upbringing, the people we've been inspired by, our life experiences, and the norms and values of the society in which we live.
In particular, limiting ideas are unchecked mental constructs that hold us back. What we "can" or "cannot" do, what we're "capable" of, or how we're "supposed to" behave are all things they dictate.
Our self-limiting ideas confine us to our safe space. They can severely stunt our growth and prevent us from reaching our full potential. These ideas, whether consciously formed or not, are what we hold to be undeniable truths. It is possible to overcome the obstacles posed by pessimistic thinking and replace it with a more constructive outlook on life. Just by shifting your perspective, your entire world can shift with it.
Causes of Limiting Beliefs
The first step in overcoming limiting beliefs is understanding where they originated. Some common types of situations that might lead to limiting beliefs are as follows:
Life experiences: There is an emotion associated with every moment of your life. These inferences from past events are the basis for your future decisions.
Hereditary beliefs: Before you were even aware of it, your parents and other family members began instilling in you a set of views and values. When we're young, we form our fundamental convictions based primarily on what we learn from our families, whether they do so intentionally or not.
Education: The people from whom you learn affect your worldview, whether they be formal educators, loved ones, or casual acquaintances.
Peers/Society/Social Circles: People who surround you especially when you were a child or in your teenage years have great influence on how you live your life and how you think of yourself.
Religious Beliefs: The preaching of most religions tends to define which attitudes are acceptable in the eyes of the divinity in whom an individual believes, and this can lead to the support of restricting ideas.
Steps To Overcome Limiting Beliefs
It is helpful to take a step back and reflect on your daily life to overcome limiting beliefs. Consider how you typically engage in self-talk. How do you handle setbacks when things don’t work out as planned? Here are some steps to get started.
1. Reflect on one of your limiting beliefs.
2. Journal. Ask yourself when did you start having that belief. Ask yourself if it's true and if it helps you towards your goals or if it's stopping you. Recognize the consequences if you continue holding on to that belief.
3. Recognize that it's just a belief and you can change it.
4. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone and adopt a new belief or have a different perspective.
5. Put your new belief into practice and check if the results are good or bad.
6. Be proud of yourself for challenging an old belief and for choosing to start anew.
In Summary
Your current set of limiting ideas does not have to remain fixed in place forever. Beliefs evolve along with us as we develop. No one ever said it would be simple, but you'll be glad you persevered when you look back and see how much you've improved. It takes effort and thought to figure out where you picked up your own self-limiting notions from. Now that you understand the nature of limiting beliefs, it is time to tackle them and see what changes in positive ways.
Ready to Heal Your Success Story and Move Past Your Blocks?
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