Limiting beliefs, they hide in our psyche’s and only come out to haunt us when we are feeling positive about something.
We all have them but most times are unaware how they color our lives and our interactions with others and steal our peace.
Limiting beliefs form our perceptions and shape our worlds. We’ve lived with them for many years…sometimes many lifetimes. Worry, self-doubt, fear…they all play a role in destroying our self-esteem and self-confidence.
Do any of these phrases sound familiar? “I never win at anything”, “I am always messing things up when I try to fix something”, or how about this one: “I’ll never get that job…look at all the people who have more college education than I do.” “I am not pretty enough or lovable enough or smart enough”…the list goes on and on.
These are some of your limited belief structures and you are defeated before you begin with these attitudes.
Our early childhood experiences, although years behind us are still controlling us through adolescence and adulthood as we continue to respond when our buttons are pushed with the same reactions we did as a child. Most times we are not even conscious that we are doing it.
We can not begin to adjust our beliefs or rid ourselves of these ingrained patterns and limiting beliefs from childhood that we came into this life with if we cannot recognize them.
Here are some of the more common limiting beliefs that effect most individuals.
Hopelessness: If you don’t believe it is possible then it never will be. The first and most important step is to identify your “hopeless” moments. Those moments when you feel whatever it is you are hoping for…is unreachable…is impossible to achieve.
Hiding behind excuses: How many of us love to hide behind these subtle limiting beliefs? There are so many to choose from. For example, finding a job is going to be impossible because of the economy. You are defeated before you begin your search. Outside circumstances rule your world and you are always pointing the finger outward…blaming anything you can that will take the focus off yourself and your beliefs.
Helplessness: So many people give up because the steps in front of them appear to be too difficult. Rather than focus on the moment and take the first step…they don’t take any steps. They remain frozen in time. Goals seem too big…there is too much to learn or no one to show them, so they will never learn the ropes.
Worthlessness: Feeling worthless is a sense of not deserving something. If you are up for a new job position your worthless feelings taunt you into believing you are not smart enough to get the job you deserve.
Feeling Useless: Makes you feel as though no matter what happens in your life it still will not help you to turn things around. You recently got a new job but you’re still not making enough money to cover the bills every month…so what’s the use? You are so intent on finding some negative aspect that you cannot see that this job holds within it’s silver lining your treasure position just waiting for you to shine and secure. You can’t see it though…your useless, defeatist attitude keeps your attention focused on what it does not offer…rather than what it does offer.
Rather than allowing these unproductive, limiting belief structures reign, watch your reactions in every situation and try questioning everything that presents a less than successful solution or that wants to steal your mind energy into some defeatist attitude. Ask yourself why you have this belief and get to the emotion behind it. It is not the belief itself that concerns you but the emotion behind, the feeling that caused you to hide behind this particular limitation.
You can change your lifelong negative beliefs but you must pay attention and be diligent about where your mind is so that when they come calling you can promptly see them illusions they are and transmute them into the opposite belief; you must change your thought processes. It’s really that simple.
Reclaim your energy, your life, and loosen the hold these unmerciful characters have on you as they spin you around like a puppet on a string as you do their bidding.
They have never had any power over you. You gave them power by feeding them your belief.
Change your thoughts and your perceptions change. Change your perceptions and your attitudes change, change your attitudes and your life changes.
