4 Limiting Beliefs that Are Holding You Back from a Life you Love

Are limiting beliefs holding you back? Of course they are, that is what limiting beliefs do. And everyone has them whether they think that they do or not.

But guess what?

Limiting beliefs can be overcome!

It’s easy to feel defeated when you feel like you’re doing everything “right” and still not getting results you want. When this happens, it’s time to take stock of what you believe about yourself.

It’s not comfortable but it is eye opening.

Limiting Belief #1 – I Don’t Have Enough Time

Before I learned how to overcome my limiting belief of “lack of time”, I tried every guide and article I could find.

Expert #1 would say get a positive start on your day, get up and get moving! Expert #2 would say sleep is everything, be sure to get 8 hours at least for better brain function!

In my world, I couldn’t do both, but I certainly did try!

I got up at 4 am to “get a positive start to my day” but then I had to be in bed and sleeping by 8 o’clock to get my 8 hours in.

I work from 7 am- 3:30 pm, so that time frame is taken Monday through Friday with drive time to and from work, that’s another hour. Let’s not forget getting ready for work, another hour. I also needed time to work out, typically at least an hour.

I tried to re-arrange my time, I tried working out in the morning. I tried working out in the evening. I tried writing while I worked out. I tried writing at work. I tried voice recording during my breaks. I felt like I tried everything imaginable but nothing that I did seemed to work and it just left me super frustrated.

How to Turn it into your Superpower

How did I overcome it?

First, I had to become aware of what I was doing. This part is key for any limiting belief.

Awareness is most of the battle.

I had to take a long look in the mirror. I had to look at where I was wasting time and reflect on how I could use my time to serve me better.

It was not fun, but it was necessary.

Once the realizations began to come into awareness, then, I had to admit to myself that I was using this (limiting belief) as an excuse.

I have just as much time as everyone else.

This belief that I didn’t have enough time was a lie that I kept telling myself over and over until I believed it internally and that was holding me in a vicious cycle. That cycle is what I like to call the Insanity Loop.

Once I finally saw what I was doing to myself, then it became easier for me to manage.

I started talking to myself out loud and telling myself that I have plenty of time in the day to get everything done that I wanted to get done.

I started watching what i was doing and became aware of where I was not spending my time efficiently.

One of my biggest time wasters was scrolling social media and playing games on my phone. I was not aware of how much time I was wasting doing it.

I’m not saying don’t do these things, but certainly take a look at what you’re doing if you think that you don’t have enough time in the day. You may or may not be aware of how many hours are spent in this fashion. I know I didn’t.

Second and equally important, challenge the belief. After all, it’s just a belief, it can be changed.

You don’t have to act on it right away. Just let it sit with you, let it come into your awareness and notice it.  Acknowledge it and let it just be there.

And once it begins to shift then start taking tiny baby steps toward the things that you want to get accomplished for the day. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, those small steps can add up fast!

You can do it!

Limiting Belief #2 – I Don’t Need Help

Can you relate to this?

Are you used to being self-sufficient? I know that I am.

And asking for help can seem embarrassing for someone who is self-sufficient and used to doing things all on their own. Can you relate?

We can find balance here.

Self-sufficient individuals should not be afraid to ask for help when they need it.

How to Turn it into your Superpower

First, notice it and let it come into your awareness.

You can just sit with it and let yourself see it with your inner being. Simply becoming aware is sometimes enough to make things shift.

Second, challenge your belief. After all, it’s just a belief and you have no proof that it’s reality.

Recognize that everyone has limits, even us self-sufficient ones! And it is ok to ask for help when help is needed.

Ask yourself why you think you need to go it alone. Journal on it, ponder it. (Your answer here could be very revealing.)

Is it that you think that you are the most qualified to do the job? Do you believe that no one else can do it better than you?

Once you have your answers, think about what it would be like to do the opposite. What would it be like to have help? Would it make your life easier, better? Could you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently?

You don’t have to take action now. Just let it sit with you and try to broaden your perspective.  Keep challenging yourself. 

When you’re ready, try reaching out for help. You may find that a coworker or family member might be exactly what you needed or they may know someone that can make your life so much easier!

You can do it!

Limiting Belief #3 – Perfectionism

“I have to do _____ first.” Fill in the blank with whatever and/or what area you’re telling yourself that you are not good enough or talented enough.

We all have a list of things we need to do, and in what order we want to do them. We all have goals that we want to achieve but perfectionists tend to be unrealistic and demanding with zero leeway to do something different.

Perfectionism has its roots in fear, but it doesn’t always show up that way.

Sometimes it shows up as procrastination or anxiety, but it also shows up as avoidance. It’s actually having an unrealistic standard that you hold for yourself.

It’s common to put off things we’re not “ready” for but if you’ve been procrastinating on a specific task for weeks or months, it’s probably time to re-prioritize and take a look at it.

You may be feeling like you aren’t good enough or smart enough. Yes, we all feel that way from time to time, but perfectionists beat themselves up over it and it robs them of their peace and keeps them spinning their wheels.

How to Turn it into your Superpower

Again, awareness is the key here.

And as always, you can just sit with it and let yourself see it. Acknowledge it but don’t give it excess fuel by beating yourself up over it!

Create bite size goals for yourself. Baby steps!

Baby steps can help you enjoy more of the process without feeling overwhelmed, in turn taking any added pressure off of yourself.

Reflect or journal on your progress. Let yourself celebrate the wins no matter how small or how imperfect they are!!

You can do it!

Limiting Belief #4 – I Can’t

How many times have you gotten excited about something, like, starting a business, then immediately thought, “Nah, I could never do that”…?

You’re not alone. This is another belief that comes from a place of fear, don’t worry, we all have them.

When you’re about to try something new, you picture all the things that can immediately go wrong.

The problem with this belief is that it can prevent more empowering beliefs from forming and can definitely hold us back from reaching our full potential.

How to Turn it into your Superpower

Recognition and awareness are always the key.

Once you start to become aware of saying or thinking this, you can just sit with it, you don’t have to do anything at first. Just simply be aware of the thought. You will begin to catch yourself saying it.

Next, challenge this belief. Is this at all true? Is there any evidence to support it?

We accept limiting beliefs without question, like their truth. They certainly are not truth.

You can achieve whatever you put your mind to. You absolutely CAN!

Take a couple of baby steps toward your goal just to test the waters. Completed baby steps can be a huge confidence booster.

You’re making great progress!

It’s time to turn those limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs!

Awareness is the first key to overcoming limiting beliefs because they are self-imposed.

Don’t feel bad, we all have them, remember? It’s what you do with them that counts. 

If you find yourself struggling, think about what may be holding you back.

You could write down 10 limiting beliefs, and don’t be afraid to see them on paper. Seeing things written down can help with recognition. Sometimes, I will look up similar words or opposite words just so that I can be more aware of the meaning. Then replace that with a more empowering belief.

Then, act in alignment with your new empowering belief. Start small, don’t try to overdo it, and overwhelm yourself! Sometimes these things have a lifetime hold on you. But keep at it, you can overcome and find new confidence in yourself!

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