“I can’t do this because I’m not smart enough.”
“I don’t have what it takes to be as successful as them.”
“I’ll never make enough money to afford that.”
Do these thoughts sound familiar? If yes, then you have first-hand experience with limiting beliefs. While most of us wouldn’t admit it out loud, a lot of us have this kind of mindset that stops us from achieving our desired level of success. These beliefs we have about ourselves are getting in the way of what we’re actually capable of, by trapping ourselves into a mental cage of what we believe we are capable of.
Keep reading to learn more about what exactly limiting beliefs are, how you can recognize them, and how you can free yourself from this mindset and reach your full potential.
WHAT ARE LIMITING BELIEFS?
Limiting beliefs are stories that we tell ourselves, when we feel like we’re not good enough. These are the narratives that only exist in our minds that are keeping us from becoming the people we want to be. Often, these limiting beliefs have a strong grip over what we perceive to be the reality of what we can and cannot do.
HOW TO RECOGNIZING YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS
Most of the time, these limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained into our subconscious and have been restricting our views and perspectives for a long time. This is why it’s a bit difficult to pinpoint exactly which thoughts are problematic.
One tool that can easily help you identify what your limiting beliefs are is self-reflection. To be able to do this, you must practice self-awareness to catch the limiting thoughts you have about yourself. Every time you hear that negative voice in your head, take note of it. Maybe even write it down in a journal.
Once you’ve identified what your limiting beliefs are, here’s how you can get rid of them…
HOW TO FREE YOURSELF
The first thing you need to do is to come to terms with the fact that you have unlimited potential. Beyond the limits that we set for ourselves in our minds, there is nothing that physically holds us back from achieving everything we want to achieve.
If you can think it, you can make it happen.
So, the next time you catch yourself thinking in a limiting way and feeding that limiting belief you’ve already identified, ask yourself the following questions…
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Is this true?
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If yes, what evidence do I have to support this belief?
From there, take that initial thought you had and replace it with a more empowering belief, which would spark a train of thoughts that would make you feel limitless instead of limited.
To conclude, the late Bob Proctor once said that the first step to tapping into your unlimited potential is to realize that you are in your own way. We can’t escape from a prison until we recognize that we are in one. People who have chosen to live within the limits of their old beliefs continue to have the same experience.
In order to reach your full potential, you must break the old patterns and replace them with empowering beliefs to propel you forward.