Limiting beliefs are false beliefs, ideas or opinions that one thinks to be the truth. They usually have an extremely negative effect on one’s lifestyle and therefore by removing them it can have a positive effect on one’s life on both a professional and personal level. By eliminating limiting beliefs one can free oneself from the negative consequences which may arise due to these limiting beliefs. However, in most cases, limiting beliefs are generally unconscious, negative, and thus are an impediment to one’s progress in life. To remove them, you need to understand their nature, how they work, and why you have them.
Most of us hold limiting beliefs for various reasons. You may have a parent or grandparent who told you that you were not good enough or was too old to make it in the business. Or you may have been encouraged or even brainwashed into believing that you were bad, stupid, useless, or rather misfit. All these beliefs held us back and prevented us from progressing. You need to eliminate these limiting beliefs as well as replace them with more empowering ones. Once you do this, your life will become more fulfilling and you will feel more free and relaxed in every situation.
What are some of the limiting beliefs that we all have? The first are our ideas or concepts about ourselves. We all have them, whether you realize it or not. These can be made into false beliefs such as: I’m not smart enough, I’m not attractive enough, I’m not nice enough, I’m too selfish, I don’t care enough… and so forth. Even if you think these things about yourself, your mind automatically transfers them into your reality.
Another type of limiting beliefs is the one that comes from your emotions; for example: I don’t like myself, I’m not good enough, I don’t have the right skills, I don’t have enough money, I’m not a good listener, I can’t do it… and so on. If you think or speak these negative words to yourself often enough, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and you’ll live in a perpetual depression. It is important to rid ourselves of these negative thoughts by using mantras or positive affirmations, repeating affirmations whenever you need to, repeating affirmations over until they become a part of your subconscious.
An example of a limiting belief is the one stating that: I can’t have or own a horse. This type of limiting belief is very common. It prevents you from getting what you want in life. You may have tried many ways to get a horse, but you just can’t seem to win. The belief is “I can’t have a horse” is preventing you from taking any action. If you want to build a successful business, you must disassociate yourself from this negative statement and replace it with one stating: I can have a horse”.
As we have discussed, limiting beliefs spring from your unconscious mind and they have an effect on how you perceive life. They can be corrected by using affirmations, consciously using mantras and visualization techniques or by practicing meditation or yoga. When you correct your inadequate beliefs, you free yourself from having to entertain the same thoughts repeatedly. This will enable you to live a happier, fuller life and enjoy all the things you desire. With a clear understanding of how the mind works, you can easily rid yourself of all the negative and limiting beliefs pertaining to self-worth, talents, abilities and much more.
One thing that must be done with all of your limiting beliefs is to replace them with new ones. For example: Let’s say you have the belief that: A certain group of people are more talented than others. Your new belief could be that: All people are capable of achieving great things if they put their minds to it. You may have to make some major changes in your thinking to make this new belief a part of your subconscious mind, but once you have made this change, you can benefit from the empowering alternative beliefs that surround this new belief.
Limiting beliefs can hold us back from reaching our goals. Once you have identified your common limiting beliefs, the next step is to find ways to combat these beliefs and show yourself as the successful person that you can be. Rather than allowing the negative statements to prevent you from doing what you know you must do, challenge these beliefs head-on. If you really want to feel like the person you have always felt you are, then you need to get rid of the limiting beliefs that have been holding you back and start living the life you truly desire.