Do More by Getting Rid of Limiting Beliefs
- Andi Dela Torre Griffiths
- Aug 1, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2021
Do you want to have the courage to pursue what you want, do more, and have genuine satisfaction in life? The key lies in developing healthy personal beliefs, and you do that by first getting rid of the limiting ones that hinder you from growing into your best self.
What are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are false beliefs about yourself and the world in general that you believe to be the absolute truth.
Much of it stems from your programming growing up. Factors that affect this programming include the environment you grew up in, your friends or family, the kind of media you’re constantly exposed to, or from personal experiences that you found traumatic.
There are different kinds of limiting beliefs. Let’s go through some common examples.
Career
“I don’t think I’m qualified enough to get the job that I want”
“I’m too old/too young to start a business”
“There are so many better entrepreneurs out there, there’s no point in trying”
Personal “I’ve done so many mistakes in the past, I don’t think I’ll ever be taken seriously” “I’m afraid what other people might say or think” “I don’t have enough time for the things that I love”
Love and Relationships
“I know I’m going to end up living alone” “I don’t believe in love, I grew up in a broken family so I’ve seen it all”
“He/she is too good for me, I should settle for less”
Finances
“My circumstances does not allow me to earn sufficient money” “Money is the root of all evil, I’d rather be poor”
“I’m never going to be as financially prosperous or abundant”
As you see, the majority of these revolve around the fear of rejection, betrayal, criticism, and not being good enough. (then eventually attract such circumstances).
This explains why many (not all) of those who grow up in hostile living environments or hang out with violent people end up being violent themselves, or how people who also constantly watch shows about infidelity or toxic relationships usually end up being in the same scenario, because subconsciously it has programmed them to believe that it’s okay to be cruel, or that it’s impossible to have healthy, meaningful relationships.
The good news is that you can always choose to rise above any negative programming and retrain your brain to develop healthy beliefs that serve you.Below are some steps on how you can rid yourself of limiting beliefs and start working towards your goals until you achieve them, no matter where you are in life right now!
Steps to Remove Limiting Beliefs
1) Identify and acknowledge that you have them
The first step is to have an awareness that you have limiting beliefs. Get a sheet of paper and write it all down. To make it easier for you to do this, you can make a table and go about it per life aspect. Here are the six areas I’ve divided my life into (you can use it as a guide): personal, love, social, spiritual, health and wealth, and career. Remember to be honest with yourself.
2) Reflect on the root cause/s
Most limiting beliefs are developed during childhood when our brains are more malleable because it’s still learning to comprehend and make judgments. So it's a time of your life you might want to revisit to ask the following questions on why you limit the way you see yourself: Was it from hanging out with the wrong friends? From the scarring effects of previous experiences? From the negative mentality of other people passed onto you? Or from the media you consumed?
Understanding what caused you to form your limiting beliefs will help prevent them from resurfacing again.
After you do this, you’ll know more about yourself and what you want. You'll also realize how much your limiting beliefs hold you back or have held you back before from even making the first step.
3) Make a decision to remove and replace your limiting beliefs
It can be a quick affirmation, like: “I decide to replace my old beliefs with new and empowering ones”, just to make an impression in your mind.As the saying goes, “everything starts with a decision”.
Once you’re done with that, you can now create a new set of beliefs that reflect what you want to be and what you want to achieve. Again, it would be easier if you write it down in tables per life aspect. You can also make an audio recording of you affirming them so that you can just listen to it anytime you need a boost or a reminder.
4) Strengthen your new personal beliefs through affirmations and visualization
Reprogramming your subconscious requires time, commitment, and patience; it doesn't happen overnight. With this, you’ll have to affirm yourself and visualize regularly until you successfully form your new thought habits. According to a thorough 2009 study conducted by Dr. Phillippa Laly and her coresearchers, the average time to build and solidify a habit is 66 days. You might want to take this into consideration and stay focused with your affirmation and visualization exercises for two months. If at some point you feel cynical or lazy, please push through and do know that you’ll be rewarded for your efforts.
Align actions with your beliefs
Of course, in Pablo Picasso’s words, “action is the foundational key to all success”. You cannot just simply believe and expect a change in reality without taking inspired action. Align your actions with your beliefs.
Hope you found today’s article useful. For more similar write-ups, just check out the Inspiration category on the blog page. Thank you!
