How To Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs.

Limiting beliefs can influence how you think, feel, and behave. You start to learn them from a very early age, which can make them very difficult to overcome. Learn how to release your limiting beliefs, with just 4 simple steps, and replace them with new & empowering ones.

What Is A Limiting Belief?

A limiting belief is something you accept as true but does not contribute to your well-being and can even be harmful to you.

As a child, I learned that being obedient kept me safe from punishment and made me a good child in my parents’ eyes. I internalized the belief that I had to avoid conflicts and speaking up so I could be accepted by my parents and other people.

It was a pattern I repeated over and over in my decisions and relationships without even realizing it. Because of my limiting beliefs, I suffered from people pleasing, lack of boundaries, and stress.

Breaking free from a limiting belief may not be an easy thing to do because it might pain you to discover what it is. However, once you are aware of them, you can start to process and understand them so you can release them and adopt new ones.

Where Do Limiting Beliefs Come From?

We adopt our beliefs at a very early age because we absorb them unknowingly from those around us and they enable us to survive and thrive.

We accepted these beliefs as our truth & reality, so it may seem like the belief is serving our highest good.

Just because your belief aligns with the people around you, does’t mean it’s right for you. For example, a child learns to please her caregivers in order to be accepted by them.

She remains a people pleaser as an adult but does so at the expense of her own happiness. She doesn’t realize that the limiting belief of people pleasing is making her miserable.

How Do Limiting Beliefs Affect Us?

Once upon a time in Great Britain, Victorians (people of the Victorian period) believed that trains could cause mental illness. They thought that the jarring movements of the train could injure the brain, unhinge the mind, and drive otherwise sane people mad.

In one instance, it was reported that a man with a gun in a moving train was acting & laughing very strangely and attacked windows to get to other frightened passengers.

By the next stop, he was calm and peaceful. However, when the train started moving again, his aggressive behavior returned.

Limiting beliefs such as these can be harmful to others and ourselves. They can also keep us stuck and prevent us from reaching our full potential.

Imagine where we would be if we stopped using trains because we thought they caused mental illness?

What Are Examples Of Limiting Beliefs?

Here are two sentences that represent common limiting beliefs. I formatted the two sentences below as fill in the blanks. The words that follow the sentences can be used to identify a limiting belief.

I am not ________ enough. Common words that fill in this blank are: smart, handsome, pretty, doing, talented, experienced, creative, motivated, etc.

I am too ________. Another common fill in the blank for this one is: old, tired, scared, busy, dumb, ugly, slow, fat, etc.

Do these phrases ever slip into your mind? When you really think about it, these “beliefs” are just words that fill in a blank space.

The next time a limiting belief enters your mind, try to step back and notice what they really are: thoughts and stories that are creating your reality.

How To Overcome Limiting Beliefs.

Overcoming limiting beliefs, especially if they are deeply rooted in your subconscious, can be challenging. However, with a little time and effort, you will start to recognize the patterns that limit your choices, actions and behavior.

When you do, you will begin to release them one by one, and create space for new, empowering beliefs. Here are 4 steps to help you overcome limiting beliefs.

1. Become Aware Of Your Beliefs.

The first thing you want to do is become aware of your beliefs because you won’t be able to change something unless you’re aware of it.

You can increase your awareness by practicing meditation or mindfulness. Or you can do some freeform journaling to help you gain insights into your beliefs.

2. Identify Your Limiting Beliefs.

Once you’re more aware, write down all of your beliefs and keep these questions in mind:

Is there something that makes you feel stuck?
Is there a pattern that you’re afraid to change?
Where are these beliefs rooted?
What emotions are attached to them?

Look at what you wrote and identify your limiting beliefs. When you know your limiting beliefs, you can start letting them go.

3. Release Your Limiting Belief.

Before physical exercise became a regular habit of mine, I dreaded just thinking about it. I made up excuses to avoid it like, I have no energy, I’m too busy, it’s a waste of time.

My belief was that I didn’t have enough time or energy to exercise, even though I knew it was good for me. Why should I exercise every day when I already feel exhausted?

One day, I simply decided to buy a mini trampoline so I could exercise for just 5 minutes a day. It was fun doing this exercise each morning, so I tried other exercises like yoga and chi gong.

I discovered that I didn’t lose my energy. In fact, I had more energy because I was exercising. Now I can do low impact exercises for about 20 minutes a day and my belief about exercise is forever changed.

It can take a while to release a limiting belief, especially if it’s rooted in your subconscious. So If you’re having trouble, it’s perfectly fine. As long as you’re aware, you always have a choice in what actions you take.

4. Create New, Empowering Beliefs.

Once you’ve released your limiting beliefs, you can create new, empowering ones. Like everything else, it takes time to get used to a new belief, so keep this in mind when you’ve come to this step.

I made some examples of limiting and empowering beliefs to help you get started with your own empowering beliefs.

Limiting: I am unlovable.
Empowering: I love and accept myself for who I am.

Limiting: I’m not good enough.
Empowering: I have the talent and capability to accomplish anything I pour my energy into.

Limiting: I hate my job, but I can’t leave because I’m too old to be hired.
Empowering: I have enough talent, experience and wisdom to get the job of my dreams.

Limiting: I’m 35 years old and never been married. I must be too ugly for someone to love me.
Empowering: I am beautiful and independent. Having a loving partner is a wonderful bonus in my life.

Last Thoughts On Limiting Beliefs.

Limiting beliefs are just stories that we create in our minds that are simply not true. Some might go as far back as early childhood and become your reality and truth.

However, once you start to recognize the patterns in your life that no longer serve you, you can start to release those beliefs. Then you can adopt empowering beliefs and start creating a life that you love.

Did you have any limiting beliefs that you want to change? Please share your thoughts!