What Are Limiting Beliefs?
Have you ever made a statement like “I’m not good at math” or “I have two left feet and would never make a good dancer”? These are examples of limiting beliefs that put you in a corner of your own making and often falsely define you. A limiting belief is a state of mind, conviction or belief that you think to be true that limits you in some way.((Habits for Wellbeing: What Are Your Biggest Limiting Beliefs?)) This limiting belief could be about you, your interactions with other people, or with the world and how it works. Limiting beliefs can have a number of negative effects on you. They could keep you from making good choices, taking new opportunities, or reaching your potential. Ultimately, limiting beliefs can keep you stuck in a negative state of mind and hinder you from living the life you truly desire.Causes of Limiting Beliefs
Now that you understand what limiting beliefs are, do you know what causes them? Where do they come from and how have they influenced your choices in life? Some argue that people are not wired to be open-minded as our inherent biases cause us to only desire positive and agreeable information. However, there are other things that cause limited beliefs aside from inherent biases and an inability to be open-minded. Below, you’ll find a few you may resonate with.Family Beliefs
Growing up, your parents likely had morals and values they tried to instill in you. These often stemmed from their own familial beliefs and ideas about how both you and the world should be. It could be things such as what career paths you should take, how to behave, and how to engage with others. You can end up forming your own limiting beliefs based on the beliefs they instilled in you. An example would be your parents reinforcing a belief that authority should never be challenged. As a result, you may believe that unfair treatment from people of authority is something that has to be accepted as opposed to challenged. You may even be unable to recognize this behavior.Education
Education plays a major role in forming limiting beliefs too. Whether you’re learning from family, teachers, or friends, they all have an impact on what you adopt as truth. This is because they’re both in a position of authority and constantly sharing information, ideas, and beliefs about how the world works. When you’re learning from authorities who you respect, you are even more inclined to conclude that the things they tell you are true.Experiences
When you make decisions or have experiences in life, it is common for you to draw conclusions afterward. If, for example, you fall in love and it ends in heartbreak, you might conclude that love always ends in pain. These sorts of negative experiences, in particular, can strongly shape your limiting beliefs. It’s important to remember that the conclusions you come to after bad experiences happen are only valid temporarily.How to Identify Your Limiting Beliefs
So, how do you identify limiting beliefs? There are a number of ways you can do so and most require some personal reflection. Seeing as they may not be easily identifiable, here are a couple of methods you could try to bring them to the surface.((George J. Ziogas: How To Identify Your Limiting Beliefs And Get Rid Of Them Once And For All))1. Identify Your Beliefs
To identify beliefs that are limiting you, start by writing down your general beliefs. Write down beliefs about anything you feel strongly about and that influence your daily life. Group them into different categories like finances, family, relationships, or health. Once you’ve done this, examine which ones are helping you grow and which could be limiting you.2. Assess Your Behavior
Another approach you can take to identify limiting beliefs would be to assess your behavior. Think about scenarios where you’ve acted in negative or toxic ways and think about why. If you look closely at your toxic behaviors, you might discover that the underlying cause is limiting beliefs. For instance, if you find it difficult to speak your mind when someone has offended you, you may possess the limiting belief that conflict is bad. This, in turn, could keep you from having truly intimate relationships as you’re unable to speak your mind and have healthy confrontations.3. Write Down Areas Where You Feel Challenged
If you’ve noticed that you have recurring challenges in certain areas of your life, this could be indicative of limiting beliefs. Perhaps you can’t seem to land a well-paid job or you never have luck when it comes to love. These challenges may simply be the byproduct of erroneous beliefs that you’ve adopted as truths. As you go through each challenge you write down, also make a note of which of your beliefs pertain to that challenge. So, if you’re always struggling to make enough money, uncover what you think about money and how accessible it is to you.7 Ways to Overcome Them
The good thing about limiting beliefs is that you have the power to change them any time. This doesn’t mean that doing so will be an easy process, but commitment and a greater level of self-awareness can make it possible. The suggestions below could help you successfully overcome any limiting beliefs you have.1. Organize Your Environment
Believe it or not, your environment can have an effect on your beliefs. Having a well-organized and spacious environment could improve your mental health and encourage positive thinking. When your environment is tidy, it gives you the space to think and gain more clarity. To create a better environment, get rid of any clutter you may have accumulated at home. You could even go as far as redesigning your space to improve the flow of your home. You may even consider using feng shui practices.((Ashford Realty Group: What Is Feng Shui )) The basic premise is to channel the flow of energy by placing objects in a certain way. It’s a good way of keeping positive energy flowing through your home and getting rid of negative ones. Hopefully, this will influence your mindset and help you focus on positive thoughts and beliefs.2. Try Minimalism
Embracing minimalism can help you get rid of false beliefs that are holding you back. The fundamentals of minimalism are clarity, honesty and detaching from material things.((Rank & Style: Minimalism )) For example, if you find that you’re addicted to cluttering your wardrobe with new clothing items, it could be because of limiting beliefs about your physical appearance. An example of such a belief would be “I’m not attractive unless I’m wearing the latest fashion”. Seeing as minimalism is all about your mindset and resisting peer pressure, it could help you reverse limiting beliefs and embrace a more meaningful lifestyle.3. Explore More
As mentioned earlier, limiting beliefs can be a result of being closed-minded. To help open your mind, learn to let curiosity lead you. When you give in to curiosity, you’re more likely to explore the world around you and break out of your comfort zone. What this can do is help expand your mind and make you challenge your beliefs. Curiosity also creates opportunities for you to learn about other people’s beliefs and observe new ideas. Some ways to explore would be to have conversations with people who have different backgrounds than you. Traveling is another effective method to try as it gives you the chance to engage with different cultures and ways of life.4. Counseling
If you’re struggling to change your limiting beliefs on your own, you could benefit from the help of a therapist or counselor. In the event that your limiting beliefs are triggering other conditions like anxiety or depression, you may have even more of a need to seek professional help. This is because counselors and therapists have the resources and knowledge needed to help you overcome challenges and live a more satisfying life. They can also help you trace limiting beliefs and give you the tools you need to get over them, such as cognitive-behavioral therapies supported by gamification.((Bradley University: How Gamification Can Be Used in Counseling )) Technology has made getting counseling and health-related services so much easier.((Wake Forest University: How Technology, Texting and Social Media Have Impacted the Counseling Industry)) This is because you’re able to download health-related apps and liaise with your therapist or counselor from the comfort of your mobile phone. There are also mental health trackers that can be used to track anxiety triggers, emotional states, and your progress over time. All of this makes it so that you’re not alone on your journey to eliminating limiting beliefs.5. Meditation
Beliefs often originate from the thoughts of others that worm their ways into our own, so tackling your own thoughts could help you change negative beliefs. To have more control over your thoughts, take a few minutes a day to meditate. When you meditate, you free your mind from negative or unwanted thoughts and ideas. The goal of meditation should be to let thoughts pass through your mind without engaging in them. Meditation helps you calm your mind and connect with your inner-self. Once you’re able to get past all of the clutter in your head, you can focus on the positive beliefs you want to adopt. With time, these beliefs could replace the negative ones. Before you know it, your mind will be filled with positive beliefs that help you become the best version of yourself.6. Personal Development
If you want better beliefs to guide your thinking and choices, you have to work on yourself. This means actively seeking opportunities for development and growth in all aspects of your life. Self-improvement is important as it can increase self-awareness and help you overcome weaknesses. Since it requires actions, you’re forced to do something about your limiting beliefs as opposed to hoping they’ll magically go away. Ways to develop yourself include:- Reading books from authors that share the kind of beliefs you hope to have
- Podcasts are also a great way to consume information that could make you better.
- Set practical goals so that you can measure your growth.
- Journaling is another tangible way to monitor your progress, especially when it comes to your thoughts and beliefs.
7. Positive Affirmations
If you struggle with low-self esteem, it can be hard to establish positive beliefs. However, positive affirmations are a great way to help improve your self-esteem. They force you to speak about yourself in a positive way, and hopefully, with time you’ll begin believing your affirmations. If you have limiting beliefs about how lovable you are, it could limit your ability to attract loving and kind people into your life. To help change that belief, you could write down an affirmation that says “I am valuable, amazing and lovable”. Saying this every day could help build your self-esteem over time.((Well and Good: Self-Esteem Begins With “I Am,” and We Have the Affirmations to Prove It)) Your positive affirmations should also celebrate your strengths. Use your successes and your strengths to write down affirmations that remind you of just how incredible you are. This could also give you the courage you need to push yourself and achieve more.Final Thoughts
The world is full of beliefs, and as long as there are different kinds of people, this won’t change. However, you’ve got to figure out which beliefs help you live the life you’ve always dreamed of. All of the beliefs that keep you from living that life are limiting and ones that you should get rid of. By doing so, you give yourself a chance to create a life that supersedes your expectations.More About Mental Strength
- How to Think Positive Thoughts When Feeling Negative
- 9 Self Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back from Success
- 11 Tips for Maintaining Your Positive Attitude
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