"If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you." Louise Hay

We have spent the last month deep diving into limiting beliefs, and as this month draws to a close, I want to wrap up this topic and focus on overcoming limiting belief. Want to hear the good news? If you have been following along with this series, you are already halfway there! The first step in overcoming a limiting belief is to identify your limiting beliefs, and before you can do that you must first understand what limiting beliefs are. So, if you haven’t had a chance to check out the previous three blogs, What are limiting beliefs, Where do limiting beliefs come, from, and Identifying your limiting beliefs, then take a moment to do that before jumping into today’s topic. Without a foundational knowledge of limiting beliefs and how to recognize them, then your ability to overcome them will be hindered, and let’s face it we are all busy and do not have time to waste holding ourselves back.

Step one, as mentioned, the first step to overcoming any challenge is identifying the problem. In this case identify the limiting beliefs you hold. I won’t go into details on this step here since it was covered last week.

Step two is to take ownership of your beliefs. We need to realize that our beliefs create perceptions in our life, and those are not always true. Often, they are rooted in fear or trauma, and therefore are not accurate perceptions. I am not saying that your beliefs are not important, because I truly believe that your personal beliefs are our touchstones, or the road signs that guide us through our journey. What I am saying is that if you hold a belief that is going to guide your choices, you better make sure those beliefs are true! So, take time to assess if your beliefs are accurate or a distorted vision of yourself. Our beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophecy in our life, and if we are holding onto limiting beliefs, we are self-sabotaging our chances for success and happiness. I heard a speaker once say, “no one will care about your goals and your dreams as much as you do” and it really resonated with me. This means your success or failure is up to you, and you need to take ownership of your beliefs and your choices to truly move forward. If you do not, you will always be a victim to your situation or circumstances and that is no way to live. Life won’t always be easy, but at the end of the day what happens, or how your respond to what happens is totally up to you. No one can force you to think or believe a certain way, it is up to you to take control of your mind.

Step three, let go of the familiar, the certainty and stability. As we discussed a few weeks ago it is human nature to play it safe, and not take chances that could cause pain or hardship. We are literally hardwired to crave certainty and stability, and limiting beliefs are our security blankets that give us the illusion of certainty, but it also kills our dreams. We have to actively let go of our blankies and step out into uncertainty. Is this easier said than done? Of course! But as John A. Shedd said, “A ship in harbor is safe – but that is not what ships are built for.” We are not meant to play it safe and never take risks, if we do then nothing will ever change. We must open the door for pain and failure, to have the opportunity for success and joy and just to truly live.

Step four, change your internal voice. If we are the writers of our own stories and ready to take ownership of our beliefs, we also need to be cognizant of our self-talk. That internal voice is often the voice that is feeding into our limiting beliefs. Even if a limiting belief is rooted in your childhood, in trauma, or anything else, more often than not, it is our own self-talk that is perpetuating the belief. I don’t know about you all, but my mind is always running a mile a minute and my head is so full of thoughts I can’t shut off some nights. Tony Robbins put it beautifully, “self-talk is constant, and the more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it. Humans have thousands of thoughts per day – perhaps even tens of thousands – and if even a small amount of those involve limiting beliefs, that’s a constant negative narrative running through your head.” Can you imagine if instead of a steady stream of negativity and self-doubt running through your mind, you consciously chose to refocus and replace those beliefs with positive self-talk!?! When we chose empowering inner dialogue, we are setting ourselves up for success and growth. We are feeding ourselves a diet of healthy and uplifting thoughts, and that will manifest in your life in amazing ways. If we take the time to acknowledge our limiting beliefs, we can then take time to unpack them and refocus our thoughts and beliefs into something positive.

Step five, remember that you are capable of so much. Visualize outcomes that would be possible if you let go of a particular limiting belief. Actively look for opportunities to practice your new beliefs and be proud of yourself when you take new chances. Even if things do not go perfectly cheer yourself on for having the courage to try. As with any skill, and cultivating empowering beliefs is a skill, practice makes progress. Have a little grace with yourself and remember the more you employ these tactics and exercises, the better you will be at it, and the easier it will be to grow beliefs in other areas too.

What are some of the limiting beliefs in your life? Are they impacting your job, or your chance for advancement? Are they keeping you from pursuing a new career, degree, or experience? I hope this series helps y’all squash those limiting beliefs and encourages you to build new positive beliefs. As with anything new, it can be daunting, and even lonely. If you want someone to come along side you and help you overcome limiting beliefs, pursue new goals, and just ride tandem as you grow let us know. We would love nothing more than to get to ride shotgun in your journey and cheer you on as you crush goals and limiting beliefs!