It seems like everyone has their own self limiting beliefs. For many, these are buried so deep in the psyche that they don’t even recognize them or think about them much. For other people, their belief systems are so ingrained that they barely recognize them or know where they come from. Unfortunately, it’s pretty hard to unlearn self-limiting beliefs once they are deeply rooted in a person’s psyche. This is because they are basically self-fulfilling prophecy statements.
These self-limiting beliefs tend to affect people’s lives in a variety of ways. For example, if you believe that you will never amount to success, then that will be enforced by your subconscious self. You will try harder and you will be more motivated. If you believe that you are a worthless person, then this will be enforced in your conscious mind as well. Self-defeating self-limiting beliefs can cause a lot of stress in a person’s life.
Some of these beliefs are not even based in reality. You might think that you have a wonderful, fulfilling life, but deep down inside you are worried that you aren’t good enough for anything. Or, you may be a bit unsure as to whether or not you are smart enough or talented enough to achieve certain things in life.
Self esteem issues are extremely common among the uneducated. Most people have negative beliefs about themselves at some time in their lives. The worst of these beliefs tend to impact self-esteem at an early age. It is widely believed that most adults feel inadequate, most of the time. People who believe that they are inferior generally feel like they need to compensate for that feeling somehow. Whether the compensating happens physically or mentally, it usually doesn’t make the person feel any better about himself.
One of the most common self-limiting beliefs is, “I can’t do that.” If you’ve ever heard this before, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately, it’s usually accompanied by the feeling of shame or regret. People tell themselves all the time that they just can’t do it. It’s a horrible self-fulfilling prophecy.
Another common belief is “It won’t work because I don’t have the skills or the training.” This too is absolutely true. People often times look at things like certification from an outside source as a way to validate their abilities. While this type of credential may provide some individuals with a sense of security, it is usually not enough to get past some of the more powerful self sabotaging beliefs. If you don’t feel comfortable with the idea of letting someone else decide whether or not you are good enough, then you should probably keep looking.
In addition to these two self-limiting beliefs, you may also find that you harbor other negative beliefs about yourself such as “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not smart enough,” “I can’t do this,” and so on. These are all related to self-sabotaging behaviors. In fact, there is even a belief known as the “over confident” belief, which is basically just an excuse for poor performance. Unfortunately, until you begin to challenge these self-sabotaging beliefs, you will never be truly successful.
If you want to be happy, it’s absolutely essential that you eliminate self-limiting beliefs about yourself. You have to make an effort to eliminate all your self-sabotaging behaviors and beliefs. I know this is easier said than done. But if you simply refuse to believe that you aren’t good enough, great results will be difficult to achieve. Just remember, there is always hope – you just need to believe that you CAN achieve whatever it is that you want. You can do it.