6 Effective Ways to Overcome Limiting Beliefs
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What is a limiting belief?
A limiting belief is an opinion about one’s self believed to be fact that can interfere with your ability to take on new opportunities or even allow self-doubt to manifest. Sometimes, whether we intend to or not, we form certain limiting beliefs about ourselves and our capabilities which ultimately leads to not living out our true potential.
What are some examples of limiting beliefs? Maybe you haven’t been able to finish a project you start or, you haven’t landed your dream job using your degree. You may begin to feel it is a fact that you are incapable of reaching your goals or that you will never have the career of your dreams. Have you ever found yourself in this position? I’ll be the first to tell you that these beliefs are the furthest thing from the truth!
One empowering truth is that when you overcome a limiting belief you can share your testimony with others. You can be a voice for others to take the first step toward having the courage and overcoming their self-doubts.
Here are six effective ways to overcome limiting beliefs:
Call them out
The first step to any change or overcoming obstacles is always acceptance. Recognizing these limiting beliefs are hindering your growth is a giant step in the right direction. To call them out effectively, share them with someone close to you. If you’re not quite ready to take that step, write it down. Sometimes simply hearing them out loud or seeing them on paper gives these limiting beliefs less power.
Create a vision of your ideal self
Creating a vision of who you will be and what you will accomplish as the best version of yourself is an intentional way to shift your thinking to positive, productive thoughts. What goals would you achieve? How would becoming your ideal self change your life? When you take the time to map out the fine details, you’re sure to step into your true potential.
Journal it out.
- When you begin to experience self-doubt, write your limiting beliefs out on paper. Journaling these thoughts is a great way to track the root of the problem. Here are a few ideas to jot down when you experience a limiting belief:
- What activities were you doing? Were you scrolling through your IG feed? Did you have a bad encounter with a stranger?
- Who were you around? Was it a friend or family member? Maybe your boss or a colleague? This exercise will help you identify the company you keep and how they affect your mood. While we cannot simply push out everyone we experience negativity around, we can certainly limit the time we spend with them OR make sure to fuel our brain with positivity before being around them for a prolonged amount of time.
- One last thing you may want to jot down is what time of the day it occurred. By tracking this, you can spot a pattern. You may find that you experience these thoughts around 5-6 pm when the workday concludes. You can completely intercept this by having a system in place. Use your commute home from work to pop on a podcast or listen to something inspirational.
Set a short-term goal
Set a small short-term goal that you can reach within a month. Working toward something and achieving it is healthy for your brain and your overall well-being. Achieving wins, no matter what size, creates a collection of happy thoughts to keep you fueled along the way. This small goal-setting method will overpower any limiting beliefs you have. Make sure to track them by writing them out or keeping them organized in a goal planner.
Here are two to get you started:
Write down daily positive affirmations.
Spend your morning or evening canceling out any negative self-talk by affirming powerful, kind words about yourself. There is a strong link between positive self-talk and success. Not only will you intentionally transform your thinking, but you may even find yourself achieving goals you never thought were possible!
Schedule time daily to unplug.
Our phones are a great tool for so many reasons, but learning when to unplug is so important. Sometimes unplugging from social media avoids the distractions of social media and the pressure to meet unrealistic standards. In addition to social media, there is SO much information available at our fingertips. With such an influx of information, it can be overwhelming. Use your brainpower to work toward something positive. Limiting your information intake will allow you to center yourself and reshift your focus and produce positive self-talk.
Conclusion
Overcoming your limiting beliefs is the first step toward reaching your true potential. Simply call them out, envision your ideal self, journal it out, set and reach a short-term goal, affirm positive things about yourself, and be sure to unplug daily.
