LISTEN TO PODCAST EPISODE HERE -> https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/8Rnx0ShOvwb
In today’s episode of the Inspiration2Grow podcast we are exploring ways that you can implement to help you overcome those nagging, negative limiting beliefs that are holding you back. They are getting in your way of moving forward and creating wins or success in your life. These sneaky beliefs show up in our personal as well as in our professional lives and I’m sure you’d be surprised to what extent they actually influence your actions on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power!” ~Robert T. Kiyosaki And, with that food for thought, let’s dive straight into conquering our limiting beliefs…
No matter what type of person you are, whether you think of yourself as confident or insecure – most of us have self-limiting beliefs stemming likely from your childhood. If you want to achieve your maximum potential, you will have to overcome your limiting beliefs, which have been embedded in your mind for a very long time.
There is good news and some less good news regarding these beliefs:
The less than great news is that for some people it can be very difficult to override and shift these beliefs.
The silver lining is with some effort, guidance and awareness of these beliefs, there are steps you can start taking today to conquer your self-limiting beliefs when they arise from the depths of your mind.
I just want to preface today’s talk by briefly looking at what a limiting belief is or could look like for you:
A limiting belief is…
-> A judgement you have about yourself that restricts you in some way. For instance, you might think you’re no good at writing, so you never try to put pen to paper and write that novel you’ve dreamed of getting out into the world. Or, you might think of yourself as unattractive, so you never try to find love. Thinking of yourself as untalented and not at all artistic, will hold you back from attending art class. Believing you are too old to start a business or change careers is keeping you in a job you’re not 100% excited about. These are some common self-limiting beliefs.
-> A state of mind or belief about yourself that restricts you in some way. These beliefs are often incorrect accusations you make about yourself and can cause a number of negative results. For example, if you feel you are bad at public speaking, you will likely decline any chance offered to you to take the stage and share your knowledge and brilliance. Or, if you do take the stage, you think that you are likely going to be a huge flop. You have preconceived notions about your ability to do this and this belief limits your potential.
-> Keeps you in a negative state of mind holding you back from new experiences and opportunities. It plays havoc with your mental health and that’s why it is so important to work on shifting these limiting beliefs. Your self-awareness and self-esteem will drastically improve through the process.
So, in today’s episode we are going to look 4 important first steps to crushing your limiting beliefs, then we’ll look at the self talk or the language you’ve using and we will ‘flip the script’ on some of those.
Step One is to identify what your limiting beliefs are. Remember, self awareness is a crucial part of this process. What is it that you want to work on and overcome?
Some common examples I often hear are:
· I am not good enough.
· I can never make money from my passion.
· I can’t write a book.
· I am not at all good at math.
· I am too old to start lifting weights and working out.
· I am not attractive enough to do …
Granted, it can be very difficult to challenge these beliefs. However, if you’re reading this on my blog or listening to this on my podcast, it indicates that you do realize some of your beliefs might be holding you back in life and you’d like to work through them.
I salute you. Congratulations! You’re already making progress.
Step Two is about identifying the root cause(s) of those beliefs.
Once you know what your limiting beliefs are, it’s high time we uncover HOW these were formed initially. WHO or WHAT planted the seed within you to think like this?
· Let’s take the first common limiting belief – I am not good enough – as our example here. If you find yourself feeling this way despite the fact that no one is telling you this, can you identify who said this to you as a child? Who made you feel like you weren’t good enough? Was it someone at home or at school? What about now?
Allow me to share a story that dates back to my days at high school. My dream was to become an architect, even from a very young age. I would invite 2 or 3 friends over to ‘play’ but what really happened was that we occupied the upstairs bedrooms in our home. My friends would have to be my secretaries (that’s what they were called at the time) and their offices were one of the four bedrooms. I would set them up at desks, so it looked quite official. My role was the designer who drew up elaborate floor plans mostly copied from any Architectural Digest that I could get my hands on. Their job was to send our quotes and the plans to clients. What a hoot when I think about it now. There was definitely entrepreneurial blood running through my veins at the age of about 10. Side note: these two friends who were hired to be my secretaries are still my best friends to this day.
But my dreams of becoming an architect came to an abrupt halt in Grade 12 when my physics teacher told me I was terrible at physics and I would never achieve the marks necessary to be accepted into a university program for architecture. I was devasted, purely and utterly devasted. Had I known then what I know now about mindset and becoming a no-limit person, I would have found ways of improving my marks, turning my situation around and getting into the course of my dreams.
If someone were to ask me today, where or from whom I got the notion that I was terrible at physics, I would be able to tell them.
· Let’s say you think you can’t make money from your passion OR you are too old to start a business. In this case, start making friends with people who have successfully turned their passion into a profitable, revenue-generating business. There are tons of them out there. Learn from them; take on their good energy; ask and observe how things are done. Surround yourself with people whose beliefs challenge your old beliefs in the best way possible. This will slowly alter your belief
Step 3 is to challenge this belief.
So, now that you have identified your beliefs as well as the cause of them, we have to challenge those beliefs by finding the other side of the argument. Quite often we surround ourselves with people who have the same beliefs as we do. Thus, our limiting beliefs are reaffirmed and reassured. This makes us feel right in having these beliefs and that it is essentially the only way to view the world. But, this is absolutely not true.
We have to change the environment in order to alter our beliefs. It is interesting to note that, we are a product of our environment, and our brain subconsciously mirrors the people and things we are in closest relation to.
· If your belief is that you are too old to get in shape and work out with weights. You will have to challenge this belief by seeking out an environment where people of your age are active. This may be a local gym or fitness group. Be sure to inform yourself at the gym about which classes are available and where you would best fit in to get started. I don’t want you walking into the gym and be shocked to see the typical gym rats who are pumping iron and admiring their sculpted bodies in the huge mirrors. I want you to find a class like yoga flow, easy spinning, etc.
When I joined our local gym, it took me a few attempts to find my tribe in the classes I felt were good fits for me.
Come to think of it, I had a limiting belief around spin classes. I thought they weren’t for me because my level of cycling just wasn’t good enough. Funny story, I was quite intrigued by the concept of spinning and had never done it before. I thought spin classes were for hardcore cyclists and triathlon athletes who wanted a really strenuous workout.
So, one day at the gym, I strolled down the hall toward the spinning room. On my way there, I met Bill, who was very kind and understanding when I told him I just wanted to have a peek. He was extremely welcoming and before I knew what had happened, I was sitting on a spin bike adjusted to my height and size and BAM, the class started.
Within minutes, I had fallen in love with spinning. You might think this is a bit over the top, but it gives you such a great workout and gets your heart rate going more than other workouts do. Needless to say, I was hooked. But, had it not been for Bill’s persistence that I give it a shot, I would likely still be wondering whether spinning was something I could ever do.
Step 4 of this process is to record your thoughts & beliefs
We all know that changing habits is difficult, but changing our beliefs is even harder. However, changing our belief will automatically change our habit. The reason being…our beliefs are the foundation for our thoughts which in turn drive our emotions and our actions.
At first, it feels like you are forcing yourself to believe in something you do not stand behind or believe in the least. Try to push that old belief out of your mind. Instead, remind yourself of all the good reasons why the new belief is more believable. Episode 14 of my podcast was all about ‘Taking Charge of Your Belief System’ and I offered some questions to ask yourself when a limiting belief arose. One of those being: What else is true? This allows you to list out the truths about the situation and inject positive energy.
Journalling about the thoughts that come up is a great way to keep track of when and where and how often the voices of self-doubt are trying to surface. Pay close attention to your inner voice. Observe and note all the little things in life that could help you reinforce the new belief (remember the question: what else is true). Try to flip the script on your negative inner voice in the following ways:
Instead of saying: Try saying this:
I’m too old. It’s never too late. I’ve got this!
I’m no good at it. I can get better. Just watch me!
I’m worried that I’ll fail. I’m curious about what will happen.
It’s too hard. It’s a challenge and I’m absolutely here for it!
I don’t know. I will find out.
I’m not ready. There’s no better time than now. Let’s go!
Be reinforcing positive self-talk and flipping the script, which you hear me say quite often, you WILL adopt the new belief and you will feel like a brand-new person. Your old beliefs will be long forgotten, you will feel liberated and you will soar to new heights.
Don’t forget that it all starts in our minds. You have the power over your mind. You just have to keep stretching its limits.
Food for thought: “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Identifying which beliefs are getting in your way, then identifying the root cause can feel empowering in a sense. You are becoming aware of yourself and your beliefs. That’s a monumental step. Next we have to challenge this limiting belief head on. Sure, so I have this belief, but what else is true about this particular situation? Steps 3 & 4 kind of go together because we want to face these beliefs head on AND we want to shift them and the energy surrounding them.
Ultimately, going from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset with a positive spin, can-do mentality, don’t mess with me, I’m a badass attitude.
It’s time to crush and conquer your limiting beliefs. I know you can do it.
In case you haven’t heard it yet today, let me be the first to tell you…
You are an amazing individual with unlimited potential. I believe fully in you. Now, go out there and show the world what you are truly made of.
I hope to have inspired you to grow.
Til next time,
Lisa
xoxo
