Limiting beliefs are those thoughts which you may hold very dear, yet which also constrain you in some way. Because you believe them, you will not think, do or say the things these thoughts inhibit. You may have beliefs about rights, duties, abilities, permissions that restrain you from taking action, or from accepting action taken on your behalf.
While limiting beliefs can be about the ways in which you perceive others and the world around you, they are most often how you perceive yourself, and your self-identity.
Such beliefs often begin with a negative declaration, such as: I don’t, I can’t, I must not, I am not. By judging yourself negatively, in ways that mean you don’t “deserve” something (such as happiness or success), you restrain yourself from achieving many of your goals.
Yet limiting beliefs may also begin with what sounds like a positive affirmation, while limiting you further, for example: I am a clerk, which means you can never reach management, perhaps. The belief has limited your perception of your potential, restraining you from reaching it.
How to overcome limiting beliefs
As I go to great pains to explain in my new book, Blueprint for FATE, limiting beliefs are generally ingrained into your subconscious early in life, making it very difficult to identify and overcome them through conscious thought and action. They lead to fear – of both failure and success.
This type of internal conflict can lead to a great deal of stress, and can create a vicious circle of distress and fear: the beliefs you find so limiting restrain you and, because you fear taking positive action on your own behalf, you reinforce the belief that you’re “not worth it”.
The steps required to overcome limiting beliefs are actually fairly simple, though challenging indeed, since you will be forced to explore your unconscious thoughts and confront your fears. Here are the four steps you must take to overcome limiting beliefs:
- Isolate the limiting belief
- Find the source of the belief
- Recognize the belief is false
- Replace with an empowering belief
The Blueprint for FATE will provide you with exercises to help you reach your goal of overcoming the fear you feel because of your limiting beliefs. The good news is that you CAN do this, because you control your own feelings, actions, and thoughts, and how they create your experiences (your FATE).
If you would like to get professional help with meeting the challenge of overcoming limiting beliefs, please get in touch with me today.
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