4 Steps to Overcome a Limiting Belief
“Why me?!” How often do you catch yourself asking yourself this question?
Do you ever say things like:
“I can never...” or
“I do not have…” or
“I will not be…”
These are all limiting beliefs. A limiting belief is something you believe to be true about yourself, others, or even the world. These beliefs may hold you back from taking chances, not being open to the opportunities in life that come your way, or simply keep you stuck on focusing on the negative aspects of your circumstances. The problem with limiting beliefs is that they are buried deep in our consciousness and often times bubble up without ever being cognitive of it.
Removing limiting belief systems can take some time, a whole lot of inner work, and sometimes the help and support from others, but here's a few steps to help get you started.
Step 1: Write down your limiting belief.
Identifying your limiting beliefs is one of the biggest steps to diminishing them. Put them on paper and read it a few times. What do you notice? Do any strong emotions come up for you? It's so important to identify how these limiting beliefs make you feel.
Step 2: Acknowledge that they are beliefs and not truths!
When I was sharing this on my Instagram I called them false realities. Limiting beliefs are not truths, they are false realities. Once you acknowledge that they are just false realities you take back the power and are now faced with the ability to make a choice. You can choose to either believe this false reality or not. You decide.
Step 3: Rewrite the narrative!
I love this step because it's here where you get to get creative, dream big, and use your wild imagination. Replace the words "I can't" or "I don't" with "Wouldn't it be awesome if..." Here's an example I use with my clients all the time. "I don't have time to workout because of my busy schedule." Imagine if you said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if I have time to workout!" This exercise allows you to open up to magical possibilities, a mindset that's important to accomplish any and all goals you have in mind.
Step 4: Create an action plan!
Now that you've written your new narrative create an action plan based on it. This action plan can be small and remember baby steps are the key to making sustainable changes. If your new reality is you are capable of making time to exercise despite a busy schedule then make it a point to take steps towards that new belief. If you don't, then you might find yourself still feeding your limiting beliefs.
Overcoming your limiting belief system is one of the steps to reaching your goals, personal or professional. Imagine the weight lifted off once you start taking the steps towards removing them.
