Do you suffer from limiting beliefs?

Hi friends! How are you doing, like really doing? If you’re anything like me you are probably experiencing a wide range of emotions this year.

It feels so weird that the holidays are right around the corner. This year has been extremely long and extremely fast at the same time. I feel like my concept of time has changed significantly!

Even though there’s a whole lot of uncertainty, I am feeling excited.

I’m excited for a new year, not because I think things will magically be different on January 1st. But a new year is always such a big shift and a time to reset.

While the outside world may still continue to be this way for awhile, I am excited to take some rest and celebrate the holidays. Take some time to recharge and start fresh, I hope you are doing the same.

I think the thing I am most excited for is that I am finally ready to tackle some big limiting beliefs.

I know this is something that most humans struggle with. It’s quite normal to feel some sort of fear or uncertainty about a new situation.

But some of these limiting beliefs are so ingrained in you that they actually hold you back for years, repeating the same pattern to keep you from growing.

Here are some common limiting beliefs:

-I’m not going to even try at this because I will fail

-People will judge me if I put myself out there

-I’m not worthy of success

-Who am I to be a leader to others?

-I’ll never get out of my current situation, I am stuck forever

-I am not getting any closer to my dreams so I will just stop now

In my experience I have found that these type of limiting thoughts get the loudest when you looking to make a change.

Even just the early thoughts of you wanting to try something is enough for the ego to stop you. The ego’s job is to keep you safe, regardless of whether something is dangerous or not.

All the ego knows is that you are embarking on a new journey which must mean there will be threats. So those limiting beliefs are there to keep you in the same place.

But let’s take a second to pause and really think about this concept.

We are not our thoughts, we are just the thinker of them.

Take a second to let that sink in. Thoughts are just things like anything else in our universe. They pass and go as they please.

So why do we let them dictate our entire lives? Sure we need our ego to protect us from running out into the street or tell us to steer clear of that dark alley at night.

But when it comes to making a change for the better, we simply do not need these thoughts to protect us.

In fact, they do the opposite.

I have had a lifetime of experience with these kind of thoughts. My upcoming project (see my previous post!) will be shedding light on my story.

I have found that these thoughts are the loudest when they deal with something that you really care about.

Whether it’s finding love, getting healthy, starting a creative hobby, or even just wanting more confidence.

Think about your own situation now, what is a change you are looking to make but feeling a lot of resistance towards?

Let’s say you are wanting to find a new job but have not had any luck and you are starting to lose hope. These limiting beliefs are practically screaming at you.

You may think “I will never find something new” or “I don’t have any good experience” and “I have been at my current job way too long and I can’t make the change now.”

And your pattern may look like this: apply for a couple jobs and maybe get an interview, you don’t hear back from anyone and you have gotten several rejection letters. Your excitement is starting to fade as reality sets in. You feel stupid for even trying it and go back to your old ways. Even though you are not happy, you decide that this is your destiny so you choose to ignore any idea of starting something new, you’ll just be disappointed.

But if we think back to our earlier revelation, these thoughts are not your reality, they are just things. You are just the thinker of them.

So when you fill yourself with limiting thoughts and lose hope, your actual reality will line up with it. Thus, keeping you in the cycle forever.

While this may sound like you are destined to always be in the same spot, I am here to tell you things can be very different.

You can start to think of opportunity and abundance, instead of lack and fear. You can make the change you’ve always wanted to make. You absolutely can make a new reality for yourself.

So how do we get there? How do we choose to think new thoughts and finally put an end to the old ones?

The secret is lies in a practice called reframing.

Reframing the limiting beliefs from ones that stop you to ones that empower you. From lack to abundance. Fear to hope.

Let’s go back to our example of finding a new job and start to reframe those disempowering thoughts.

Old thought: I will never find something new.

New thought: I am in the process of change and the new job will come at the perfect time.

Old thought: I don’t have any good experience.

New thought: I have the exact experience I need for my next opportunity.

Old thought: I have been at my current job way too long.

New thought: I have spent years gaining knowledge and needed skills, I am more than ready for what is next.

See how much better those new thoughts feel? How much would your mindset change if you had these kind of thoughts before an interview or hitting send on an application?

The trick is to keep saying these new thoughts to yourself until they are ingrained in you. Even if you don’t see physical evidence of this new thought process, just know that it is coming.

You are shaping your mind to a new way of living and thinking. Just like those old thoughts that were with you so long, it’s time to say hello to some new ones. Carry those around until they are natural.

So tell me, which limiting thoughts are you ready to break up with?