Have Success: Let Go of Limiting Beliefs

Monday’s Tip of the Week:  Don’t just accept that you can’t do something simply because you think you can’t.  Find out where that thought comes from and decide if it is real or just a perspective.

Trying to succeed while harboring limiting beliefs is like trying to drive with the breaks on.  It’s not as if you don’t know what you need to do to succeed because you do.  You just have trouble getting yourself to do what it takes.  Maybe you have fears that are holding you back and you don’t know how to overcome them.

If you’ve done everything that you can to change and have not been able to make the changes stick don’t be too hard on yourself, it really isn’t your fault.

The Journal of Clinical Psychology has published that over 92% of people are not able to independently make lasting changes.

Why is this, you might ask.

Well, it’s simple. Many hold within themselves beliefs that they have learned that continue to hold them back.

Many try to remedy these limiting beliefs by trying to think positively or faking it till you make it or trying to reason their way out of their beliefs.

These solutions are the equivalent of taking pain killers to remedy a compound fracture.

You might feel better for a little while but there is no real fundamental change because you have not addressed the real problem.

There is something that does work.  You have to unlearn limiting beliefs.  The following are ways to let go of limiting beliefs.

Let Go of Limiting Beliefs by No Longer Identifying with the Belief

The reason why most beliefs are difficult to change is because we actually identify with the belief.  The belief actually seems to be a part of us.  For this reason we allow the belief to define us.  If for some reason you don’t think you are creative you will actually view yourself as someone who is not born with that gift.  If you think that you don’t have the ability to fix mechanical problems then you might hold the belief that you are not a mechanical person.  Allowing our beliefs to define us is easy to do.  So to let go of limiting beliefs you must first stop allowing your beliefs to define you.

Start to Let Go of Limiting Beliefs by Finding the Source

Limiting beliefs stem from memories from your past.  Delve into the memories of your past –your childhood, teenage years, early twenties and even recent years.  Try to pinpoint what happened to bring you to this conclusion.  Write down the instances specifically.  An example would be maybe when you were in high school an English teacher told you that your paper did not make the grade.  Therefore you now think that you are a bad writer.  Close your eyes and visualize the scene that led to your limiting belief.  Note how it makes you feel.

Let Go of Limiting Beliefs by Attaching an Alternative Meaning

Know that the example used in the previous step did not form the limiting belief on its own.  In other words, just because a high school teacher expressed disdain for a paper written years ago does not mean that I had to form an idea that I am a bad writer.

I began believing that I am a bad writer because of the way that I interpreted the situation.  The perspective that I chose is responsible for forming the belief.  Mind you, there is a myriad of perspectives that I could have chosen, however I chose one and made it my limiting belief.

The situation did not have meaning until I gave it meaning.  It had no power until I gave it power.

Just think for a moment.  What are some circumstances that you have identified that caused a limiting belief.  What other meanings could the circumstance have had that you have identified.  There are several other perspectives that could have been taken with the English teacher.  For instance, the teacher could have been having a bad day, I was having a bad day when I wrote the paper, the teacher has a different writing style than me, etc.

Close your eyes and visualize the scene that you have identified.  Can you now see that you can attach any meaning that you wish to the circumstance?  You are free to choose the meaning that you give to the event.

Conclusion

It is not difficult to let go of limiting beliefs.  This is true even if the belief has been with you most of your life.  The trick is to identify scenes and perspectives that have caused the limiting belief.  Once you have done this close your eyes and think of other perspectives of that scene.  You will see that instance in your life has no meaning except the one that you gave it.  Do this as often as you need to and let go of limiting beliefs for good.  Take care.

If you learned anything new from this post then please leave a comment.