How identifying your limiting beliefs can take you to places you never thought possible

Beliefs. Yep, we’ve got them alright. The ones we say out loud, the ones we keep to ourselves. The ones about people, the world, politics and outer space, but most of all - the beliefs we have about ourselves. 

90% of the time we talk to ourselves. That’s a lot of inner chat. With recent bouts of lockdown and isolation, we’ve gotten to know ourselves pretty well over the past year… and with nearly 50,000 thoughts a day, with most of these thoughts being negative, it’s any wonder we’re still friends with ourselves.

If we are talking to ourselves this much, how can we expect to have a positive outlook to enable us to reach our dreams?

These thoughts - your beliefs - are just descriptions of your ideas about reality. They are only thought to be true. Facts, on the other hand, are accurate descriptions of reality. When you give a belief the power of fact, you encourage self-limiting beliefs, which are the bane of would-be achievers.

Tony Robbins once said: “The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.” What you tell yourself is what you believe. This can play a big role in how you see the world and how you feel.

Identifying self-limiting beliefs

Perhaps you don’t even know if you have self-limiting beliefs. If you have spent the last decade looking for reasons that hold you back from achieving your full potential and self-actualization, you might be surprised to learn that you have a few. Research suggests that these ideas develop in our childhood, and if they aren't unlearned, they can continue for a lifetime.

Shining a light onto my limiting beliefs is one of the most profound changes I’ve made in my professional life. As a person who lives in their head a lot, I have great strengths to work autonomously and productively. On the flip side, this also means I’m prone to binging on my limiting beliefs.

Recognition was my first step to freedom.

I had to consciously hear what I was telling myself, this tape recorder on repeat of “that won’t work”, “They won't say yes”, or “you’ve already tried and failed” would be playing on loudspeaker. The result? Fear, procrastination and constantly looking to others for advice.

Limiting beliefs stop you from making good choices, taking new opportunities, or reaching your potential. It’s time to realize you might just be the only barrier to your success.

If this sounds like you, read on for tips to start eliminating limiting beliefs and detox fear from your life.

How to debunk self limiting beliefs

Firstly, understand them. This is the first step to achieving the life of your dreams.

Understand their impact: What are they getting in the way of? What promotions, invites or projects did you turn down because you told yourself you didn’t deserve it, or you weren’t good enough, or you weren’t ready.  How much time and momentum have you lost due to this? If it’s a lot, the impact is pretty significant.

Identify the source: Was it a flippant comment from your past, or commonly held belief of your family or social circle, or the perception of a past experience? When leaders' behaviors are triggered by a self-limiting belief are almost always negative and cause you to act defensive. This might mean you raise your voice and argue your point. Or you get sarcastic with a colleague when that person says something you don’t like. Other leaders withdraw from a situation that tests their confidence; they shut down emotionally and go quiet.
By identifying the source of your limiting beliefs, you can't start to look at triggers from a source of truth, and you’ll act accordingly - for the better.

Assess the truth: Ask yourself, “What if it weren’t true?” and consider your true potential if you put this belief in the brain-bin and acted like it never existed. Self-limiting beliefs tend to get easily rooted in thought patterns, and become part of the furniture.  They’re rarely challenged, because they’re always there - and in some ways you start to rely on them. Flip the script and directly ask yourself what is the TRUTH in this self-limiting belief that you're carrying around like baggage. Are there serious facts to validate it? If not, it’s time to eliminate.

Tactics to help say sayonara to negative beliefs:

Flip the script: One way to start to overcome a negative belief is to develop an alternative, and replace the negative thoughts with constructive ones. For example, if you think, “I shouldn’t take this role, I’m not right for it”, go for, “I haven’t led a team of this size yet, but my valuable experience and unique skill set means I’ll be a real asset to the company.”

Challenge, and challenge again: Intentionally stand in the way of your beliefs, and be an advocate for your own change. Put your hand up to lead projects, make yourself go first for presentations and challenge yourself to always ask questions in meetings - even if you feel your questions are invalid. Hint: they’re not.

Make a Mantra: Daily mantras or affirmations will motivate you to move past your self-limiting beliefs. Repeating a positive statement regularly will give you the boost you need to go on. Especially when you don’t have colleagues or teammates that shy away from compliments. It can be as simple as, “I’ve got this”.

Ultimately, it’s up to us to take responsibility and overcome these limiting beliefs - we’ve got to do the work ourselves. Breaking the cycle and eliminating bad habits means a better work environment and potential for promotions.

This is Step 1 in Achievher’s Fear Detox Program, available for members. Do the work, and the results will follow.