Humbled by compliments or toss them aside as “they’re just being nice?” Clients or boss offer congratulations, yet feel unworthy? Core beliefs about ourselves shape our lifestyles, and decisions we make because of these beliefs significantly impact our lives. When we allow self-limiting beliefs (as we all do) to suffocate the aspirations we value and work toward, we hinder our potential and allow negative false beliefs to stifle our growth. Opportunities may not be endless. If we allow false beliefs to wreak havoc, we can miss our true potential.
Everyone has self-limiting beliefs. In order to discover them, we must consider our goals and dreams and evaluate those behaviors that hold us back. Self-limiting beliefs must be challenged for us to create the life we deserve.
According to Amy Morin, author of “How to Challenge Your Self-Limiting Beliefs“, there are three things to know about how to confront these beliefs:
How to Develop Core Beliefs: Core beliefs develop early in life and grow as we age. These beliefs result from many experiences and impact our self-image. The way our parents behave as well as siblings, peers, and strangers, and importantly how we personally interpret those experiences all have an effect. Once these beliefs are created, seeking evidence to support them is common. Each time a negative experience happens (such as failing a test), negative beliefs are personally reinforced. Alternately, when positive experiences occur (such as receiving a raise or a stellar assignment grade), the tendency is to credit external factors. Acknowledging positive behaviors as a result of our efforts, as well as understanding that humans learn and improve through failure, are critical to developing new core beliefs.
Your Beliefs Turn Into Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Just because we believe something about ourselves doesn’t make it true. But, there’s a good chance that we’ll make it come true in a subconscious manner. Beliefs shape how we judge and interpret our experiences, our emotions, and our actions. When we believe we can do it, we are significantly more likely to achieve it. Remember that there is a sense of comfort with the self-limiting beliefs we possess. Believing in ourselves has the capability to change our lifestyle.
How to Give Up Self-Limiting Beliefs: Self-limiting beliefs with tenure are arduous to overcome, but certainly not impossible. First, we have to challenge our beliefs and process through them one at a time. We must behave differently and act in ways that bring about other aspects of our personality. Simply raising our awareness that there are times when we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for can help chip away at the belief that we have held so strongly.
Changing self-limiting beliefs is not an instant gratification. It is a process that takes time, effort, and a large amount of self-reflection.
“Reality is a projection of your thoughts or the things you habitually think about.”
– Stephen Richards