Limiting beliefs are beliefs you hold that keep you from doing what you want to do.
The human mind has an amazing ability to come up with infinite reasons why you can’t do something.
There is a good chance you have limiting beliefs stopping you right now and you don’t even realise it.
Limiting beliefs come in a variety of shapes and forms. They might be thoughts like:
“I always mess up when I try this.”
“I’m not good at this.”
“It’s selfish or immoral for me to succeed.”
“I’m not meant to be successful at this.”
“If I try this, people will judge me.”
It could be any negative recurring thought that stops you.
Regardless of what the specific thought it, this type of negative thinking will hold you back from achieving your goals.
To eliminate them, you first need to identify them.
Calling out Your Limiting Beliefs
You can dispel these negative beliefs by calling them out and telling yourself they’re not true.
Each of us has a different set of recurring negative thoughts.
What are yours?
Simply realising when this is happening is a great first step for combating them.
Rely on Examples
How do you tell yourself a belief isn’t true?
A great way is to use examples.
Look at your own experience and times when you’ve overcome challenges.
Look at the lives of others to see how they overcame obstacles they were facing.
For example, think of a time you were successful before.
Did people judge you? They were probably quite happy for you.
This helps you to realise that this limiting thought isn’t valid.
Practice Positive Affirmations
Limiting beliefs are a habit of the mind.
You can create new habits through positive affirmations.
Instead of repeating to yourself that you can’t do it, tell yourself you can.
If you suffer from a fear of success, tell yourself,
“I am successful. I will succeed and this will help and inspire others.”
If you’re not good at something, tell yourself,
“I am learning this, and I can master it just like any other skill.”
Simply repeating these positive phrases can combat the negative self-talk.
Adopt the Growth Mindset
The growth mindset is a way of thinking that helps you reframe negative thoughts like these into positive ones.
It asserts that we aren’t static and fixed but change and grow over time.
This can be applied to any area of your business and teaches you to defeat the “inner critic” that tells you that you can’t do something.
Revisit Your “Why”
It can help you see things in a positive light by going back to the “why” that lies behind your current efforts.
Reconnect with your original vision and goals.
Where would you like to be next year?
See how far you’ve come and use this to fight back negative thinking.
Visualize a Positive Outcome
The reward of what you try is well worth the risk.
The worst that can happen is that you make a mistake.
But a mistake is a great learning experience.
If you grasp this, you can defeat the inner critic’s limiting beliefs and take action.
