Identifying and Overcoming Your Limiting Beliefs
Are your thoughts …. what you believe…..moving you to your next level in life or keeping you stuck right where you are?
Your thoughts and beliefs influence 95% of your decisions and actions.
Think about it for a minute, if you tell yourself that you can’t do something - how likely are you to do it ..or at least try?
Not very likely.
On the other hand, if you tell yourself that this is something you haven’t done before and am not sure what it will be like, but that you are sure that you can figure it out….how likely are you to try? Very likely.
Beliefs are not driven by clear evidence or proof. Most of the time they aren’t even based on fact. A belief is an assumption that you have about yourself, about others, and about the world.
Are your beliefs moving you or keeping you stuck?
If you think back to last week when I shared the story about my son being clear on his what...that he wanted to play ice hockey. He had a very clear belief that he could play ice hockey and would have fun doing it. There were no doubting voices in his head telling him that it’s too hard, or that he might get hurt, or even that the videos he was looking at didn’t have anyone that looked like him playing ice hockey.
His belief told him that he could do it….so he took action and moved in that direction.
Me on the other hand…..let me share with you a limiting belief that I had for a looonng time that kep me stuck.
I am what you call an introvert. My comfort zone is one on one and I get zapped of energy really quickly when I am in large groups. The thought of having to “be on” makes me tired. So being a therapist, working one on one with clients, worked really well for me.
When presented with the opportunity to be a college professor, I immediately told myself “I can’t do that. That’s too much. I can’t stand in front of a bunch of students. I’m not comfortable with that”.
BUT I went through these 3 STEPS that I’m about to share with you and now I teach at 2 colleges!
The beliefs that you have, both limiting and empowering, have developed because of your life experiences.
It's important to remember that you have the power to change your thoughts today...which will change your tomorrow.
So are you ready to get unstuck? Are you ready to have your thoughts move you instead of being debilitating?
Great!
To Identify and Overcome Limiting Beliefs you will go through 3 STEPS:
#1 Identify and write down your limiting beliefs
#2 Remix
#3 Take a STEP
I’ve put together a free reflection sheet for you to download to walk you through each of the steps so you can get unstuck and overcome your limiting beliefs.
Let's get started with STEP #1. I’ve put the limiting beliefs into 7 categories….see if any of these fit for you.
Words that you use to define yourself
You may say things like “this is how I am” or “I’ve always been this way”. I used the label of introvert to keep me from stepping beyond my comfort zone for way too long.
Lack of motivation
This may fit for you if you believe you don’t have the energy to do something. With all that you do on a daily basis you may feel burned out and don’t think you have the energy to do anything else (especially if it’s for yourself). Some may even view themselves as lazy.
Don’t have time
When you look at your calendar, it’s usually full of other people’s stuff (appointments, events, project due dates, etc.). You probably tell yourself you are stretched too thin and can’t add more to your plate.
Not enough resources
“I don’t have the money to do it” or “I can’t do it because I didn’t finish school or get that certification”. You might even say “my family doesn’t support my idea and I can’t do it by myself”.
Too late to change
If you have limiting beliefs in this category you may say thing like “that’s they way it’s always been” or “I’ve just learned to accept things as they are….it’s easier/safer that way”.
No clue who I am
Maybe you’ve been so busy doing life...taking care of everyone else and all of your responsibilities...that you’ve lost touch of what’s important to you. You don’t really know who you are and what you want to see different in your life.
No clue where to start
You might feel overwhelmed with all of the choices and not really know where to start. Perhaps you are afraid of making the wrong choice so it’s easier to stay right where you are.
It’s important to identify your limiting beliefs so you know how to stomp them out….or at least minimize the impact they have on your decision making and actions.
Now that you've completed STEP #1 - Identify Your Limiting Belief, be sure to download your Reflection Sheet to continue on to STEP #2 - Remix and STEP #3
- Action STEP.
It’s time to get what you want out of life by moving out of your own way!
Take care,
Erica
