What are you limiting beliefs?
Last week I told that a limiting belief is something that holds you back from living the life you were meant to live. It is something that you have acquired from many different sources. The information you believe about yourself is false, but you believe it and trust it more than the truth.
This week I will show you how to identify your limiting beliefs. Once you identify it, you can begin changing your thoughts to start living your life.
Some of your limiting beliefs will be hard to find because they have been with you since you were young. Some of your negative beliefs are from your parents and grandparents. Your family obtained these from their country of origin, popular thoughts of their day, or their experiences. These thoughts passed from one generation to another may not be relevant to your life today. However, these outdated, extinct beliefs are holding you back.
How do you find your limiting beliefs?
Here are ways to find your limiting beliefs. First, think about what you have heard your parents and grandparents have said about various issues. Are any of these thoughts still relevant today? Do you continue to think this way? Is it preventing you from doing something? Another variation of this is what your parents or grandparents said to you when you were experiencing difficulties. Were they supportive of your decisions? Did they discourage you from going forward? Did they cite their own inabilities?
Second, think of something you want to accomplish now or wanted to do years ago. What does the thought say to you? Do you feel uncomfortable thinking about having done this? Does it feel that is out of your reach?
Third, think about something you want to have. Now listen to your self-talk. What is it saying about having that thing? Is it saying you can’t afford it? You don’t deserve it. Are thoughts preventing you from getting it?
Fourth, think about the following statements, do you think like this. Who you are and what you can do are set in stone and cannot be changed. It is what it is so there is no sense in even thinking about other views. There is only one of doing things. These statements are limiting beliefs. These statements are some of the many popular limiting beliefs. Below are examples of how they are stated.
• I can’t dance; I have two left feet.
• I am a carpenter; I can’t do the books.
• I have to do all the cooking, cleaning, and preparing for the holiday.
• No one will hire me because I am too old.
• My skills are out of date.
What to do with them when you find them?
Take some time and think about what you think about yourself and your situation. Don’t worry if takes some doing to get your thoughts out. Some of them are buried under innocuous views. Take notice of your thoughts for several days. If any of them are negative, think about why you feel that way. Write down everything you can about what you are thinking and feeling about your beliefs. They will be used next week when I will show you how to start turning your limiting beliefs into positive affirmations and self-talk.
Arleen Bradley has two certifications in career coaching and certification in the Job-Loss Recovery Program . She assists clients in moving beyond job loss grief in order to land dream jobs using the Job-Loss Recovery Program. The Job-Loss Recovery Program uses guided imagery to achieve results. To learn more about it and how you can benefit from it, log on to www.arleenbradley.com. Or send me an email at [email protected].
