How to overcome limiting beliefs
Learn how to identify your limiting beliefs, uncover what sparked them in the first place, and understand how to reprogram your mind to let go of them for good!
What are self-limiting beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are a collection of opinions of ourselves and others that govern and limit the way we live our lives in some way. They stem from our past experiences and are often misinterpretations of past events. The stronger the limiting belief, the more evidence we find to support them, despite the fact that the vast majority of limiting beliefs are untrue, unkind, and unhelpful.
Why this matters
The obstacle in holding onto limiting beliefs is that they prevent us from taking powerful action forward toward our true desires. But the good news is that we can reprogram the way we think about ourselves and others, and take small imperfect steps forward to make our dreams a reality.
What beliefs or rules are limiting you?
Identifying your limiting beliefs is the first step in releasing them. Examples of limiting beliefs include: I'll never be successful; I'm not good enough; I'll always be in debt; Why try if I'll fail again; Everything is falling apart; I'll never find a partner.
complete the following statements:
I should always ______________ .
I will never be/do/have/experience _______________ .
I am not a good enough _____________.
I need to ____________ in order to ____________.
In order to be ___________ I should ____________.
WHERE DID THESE BELIEFS COME FROM?
Now that you've identified some of your limiting beliefs, the next step is to uncover where they came from…one at a time. Here are some questions to help you uncover and challenge your limiting beliefs:
Where did this belief come from? (Think back to childhood and early adulthood experiences)
Who may have helped create this limiting belief? How reliable is this person?
What is the first memory that you have when you think of this limiting belief?
What evidence have you found to support this limiting belief?
Why do you believe this limiting belief to be true about yourself/others?
Now that you've identified some of your limiting beliefs and uncovered where they came from, it's time to reframe them.
reframing creates new ways to look at yourself, life, or situation.
Finding a new perspective that bypasses or neutralizes your current limiting beliefs helps you move from feeling stuck to taking action.
Look at what you wrote down in the first step and imagine what you would tell your friend/partner/family member if they confessed to you some of those limiting beliefs you have. For example, if you wrote down “I will never get out of debt” you may choose to reframe it to “I choose to believe I will make positive financial decisions to get out of debt quickly.”
Using the prompts below, neutralize or make your belief kind, true, and helpful.
I am in the process of believing that _________.
I am working on believing __________.
I am worthy of _____________.
I choose to believe that I am ____________.
I desire ____________.
IT WILL GET EASIER EACH TIME
When your limiting beliefs come up again, you’ll now know how to address them, reframe them, and move on. Eventually, with enough practice, you’ll be able to let go of the beliefs that no longer serve you!
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