Do you ever think that you are not good enough, or that there's something that you cannot do? These are two examples of limiting beliefs, and these beliefs can stop you from achieving your full potential. However, it is possible to turn these limiting beliefs into more positive beliefs that work for you.
What are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are the things that you believe about yourself that place limitations on your abilities. They may conscious or unconscious, founded or unfounded. Limitations are actually a product of the mind and in reality; there are no limitations on a person. Anything can be done if you put your mind to it.
The thoughts and beliefs that we have colour our vision and perception of the world and, from that, our actions or inactions are determined. Our thoughts affect our feelings; our feelings affect our behaviour, and our produces results or a lack of our results. The point is that everything starts with our thoughts.
Limiting beliefs stop our personal evolution as a person. We may want to move forward and achieve more, but these negative or limiting beliefs stop this from happening. Fortunately, it is possible to get rid of these beliefs and replace them with more positive ones but for this to occur, you first need to identify the limiting beliefs that you have. Such beliefs may have come from things that people have said to us or have said about us while we were growing up or at a point in life. They can also come from listening to negative people, TV programs, books, movies, or songs that affect us in a negative manner. The key is to look for potential sources of limiting beliefs and stop them from taking hold.
Changing Limiting Beliefs
To change limiting beliefs, you will need to break the thoughts that reinforce your belief that you are unable to do something. The first thing that you will need to do is to stop reinforcing the old belief at every opportunity. The second thing is to replace the old belief with an empowering belief. For example, instead of thinking that you cannot cook, think that you are a great cook. The new belief may not be true as yet, but it is important that you keep repeating it to yourself in order to cancel out the old belief. The third thing to do is to imagine yourself in a new place where you can see and feel your new belief, for example, seeing your family enjoy your meal. This three stage process needs to be repeated as often as necessary, whenever the self-limiting belief becomes dominant.
The best way to stop limiting beliefs is to prevent them from occurring in the first place. Surround yourself with positive people and positive things and you will find that your thoughts and beliefs will naturally become more positive and happy.
Therapies That Can Change Limiting Beliefs
There are several therapies that can assist you with helping to change your limiting beliefs to more positive ones. These are called cognitive therapies and include:
Originally published on Jun 21, 2008
