Limiting beliefs are like that annoying coworker who can never be wrong and always has an opinion about everything you do. You know the one who makes you feel like shit when all you want to do is live your best life? Ugh.
If you didn’t know, limiting beliefs are false thoughts or stories we tell ourselves that limit us from reaching our true potential. They can crush your dreams and keep you from achieving success. But what if I told you a limiting belief is like a bad habit? You can kick that shit if you wanna!
Your beliefs form through your experiences.
You can learn from your experiences and change your beliefs, but don’t be discouraged if it takes longer than you thought, girl. After all, it took some time for those limiting beliefs to stick.
Your parents, teachers, friends, and other influences help shape how you see yourself and the world around you. For example, if your parent told you were stupid or useless as a child, this is likely to be one of your limiting beliefs as an adult.
To overcome limiting beliefs:
- Identify your negative thoughts
- Challenge these thoughts by finding evidence that contradicts them
- Practice new ways of thinking
You'll need a combination of techniques to change 'em.
Meditation, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), mindfulness, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), and hypnosis are all effective techniques for changing beliefs. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, but you’ll have to try them for yourself!
Positive affirmations and positive self-talk can also help you to change your beliefs. These methods reprogram your subconscious mind and boost your self-esteem with minimal effort. Consistency is key with these.
Consider using a combination of techniques rather than relying on just one. The more you have in your toolkit, the better your results will be.
You can take back control of your mind and beliefs.
Change your beliefs by changing how you behave and look at the world. When you create positive thoughts and habits, your mindset will change too! Take a look at the bad habits that reinforce your limiting beliefs and pick one to start working on this week.
You can also use mindfulness and psychotherapy to help yourself reprogram your brain for success—precisely what I did.
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Limiting beliefs are a fact of life. They’re invasive and can be hard to move past. However, you can overcome your limiting beliefs and become the baddie you want to be if you work at it with our Be Authentically You digital journal. Step into your power and start shutting that inner critic down!
What’s one limiting belief you want to overcome?
🤎 Jai
P.S. If you'd like to try virtual therapy, click here for two free weeks on BetterHelp.
P.P.S. Open Path Collective provides affordable in-office and online therapy. Sessions start at $30 if you have a financial need. You must purchase a $59 lifetime (aka a one-time fee) membership to see a therapist the affordable rates. Open Path is a very inclusive and purpose-driven org. Check them out!
Full disclosure: BetterHelp offers two referral link options: share one week, get one week free, or share two weeks, get none in return. I linked the latter because the idea of stockpiling free therapy is giving ✨privilege✨ and I’m not ‘bout that.