Self limiting beliefs have a tendency to sneak up on us; sometimes they show up in ways we never expected. Even when believing statements all support us, some limiting belief may prove to be rather sneaky and rear its ugly head only when least expected and totally halt all movements or make matters feel much harder than they really are. It is often at these moments that people tend to look for help and find it in self-help books. Here are 5 of the biggest self limiting beliefs and why they hinder us.
The first one of our list of self-limiting beliefs is this: I am not good enough. This statement, though often uttered by someone who is confident, is nevertheless telling you that you are not doing your best and there is something (maybe even yourself) wrong with you. Self-esteem and confidence go hand in hand; if you believe you are not good enough, you will not be able to be confident and if you start to believe it, you will sabotage your own efforts by focusing on how inadequate you are. The little voice sounds like this: “You aren’t good enough!” – but the reality is quite different: “You are who you are.”
This second self-belief is very similar to the first one; however, instead of focusing on “not being good enough,” the message is: “I can do better.” The message here is: “I can become more.” By believing this, you will have the courage to actually try out new things, new strategies, new systems and improve yourself at whatever it is you do. Not only that, you will be so far ahead of the game that everyone is going to want to be around you – because you are already so much better than them!
Our third self-limiting belief is this: We believe we don’t deserve happiness. We have been conditioned from birth by society to think that our success or failure should depend on our station in life, not on how worthy we are of happiness. We think there is something more important than who we are. This false belief keeps us from being happy, healthy and successful. If you are a victim of this self-limiting belief, you must take immediate action to correct it, no later than now.
As mentioned earlier, self-limiting beliefs can be brought about by false ideas you absorb during your formative years. Your world may include “the deserving poor,” “money will follow the worthy person,” and other such ideas that will create self-doubt and self-defeating actions and reactions. It would be wise to identify these ideas and eliminate them from your mind. However, you can also learn to distinguish between what is real and what is false. This will help you build a solid foundation for developing and strengthening self-limiting beliefs.
You have the power to take control over your self-limiting beliefs. By consciously deciding to do so, you will empower yourself to live a life filled with happiness and fulfillment. You will be on your way to eliminating self-doubt and self-defeating thoughts and achieving true emotional wholeness.