Self limiting beliefs have such a way to sneak up on us; sometimes they show themselves in seemingly perfectly harmless ways. Even when seemingly believe based beliefs all around us, a self limiting belief can occasionally rear its ugly head and suddenly make things feel even harder than they really are. It is at this moment that most people decide that maybe it is time to make a life altering change. Yet the problem with this sort of change is usually that by the time we realize what has gone wrong, it is too late.
Most of us have our very own versions of self-limiting beliefs. These are typically set into motion as children. They are typically formed by our conditioning to react a certain way to certain situations. The thing with these beliefs is that they do not really tell us what to do; instead, they simply guide us from doing something that would be rather bad to avoid doing it in the first place. We do not learn how to live a better life, we merely learn how to tolerate what is happening to us.
The first step to changing self limiting beliefs is to recognize them for what they are. Instead of responding to them as something that is outside of us, acknowledge them for who they are. This will help us realize that what is good for them is also good for us.
Another part of shifting our self-limiting beliefs is to actively think about replacing them with new beliefs. When we replace one belief with another, it is very likely that the old one will start to slip away. To test your belief, try this: replace your self-limiting beliefs with a statement; for example “I am a spring creature, ready for anything.” If it still holds true, then it is not a belief at all, but a truth.
Once you have replaced your self-limiting beliefs with a new belief, your task is to continually live your new belief as though it is a fact. You do not have to do this every day, but it is important to keep it as a memory and to use it as a guide toward your future actions. You must allow yourself to experience all the wonderful things about this new belief. If it makes you feel good, then continue with it. On the other hand, if it does not feel good, discard it.
If you find that your self-limiting beliefs are impacting your life, even though you have made an effort to correct them, there may be a trigger that releases this powerful emotional response. When this happens, all you have to do is return to your problem area and repeat the process until this overwhelming emotion is no longer an issue. Once this becomes a habit, it will become easier to release this powerful emotion when the need arises.
The process of letting go of your self-limiting beliefs can be very painful. You may be required to confront these beliefs in many different ways. You may be told that you must change your attitude or that you must behave in a certain way. You may even be told that you must speak in a certain way or that you must act in a certain way. All of these methods for changing your beliefs are not wrong, but they will only work while they are right.
When you are living in the moment and releasing any self-limiting beliefs that are keeping you from taking action in a healthy way, you are in control. You will realize that you are in control of how you will respond to any situation. You will realize that you are neither smart enough nor good enough but simply exactly who you are. You will realize that you are not the victim, and that you are in complete control. You will learn that you are indeed the leader you want to be.