Our limiting beliefs get in our way. They are beliefs not facts and whilst we haven’t deliberately created them, they can be very powerful, because we believe them.

How limiting beliefs cause us problems

We all have limiting beliefs – those deeply held beliefs that restrict us in some way. Examples include ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘I don’t belong’, ‘I’m stupid’.

These beliefs when examined are not even true, yet because they are held securely within our unconscious mind, they restrict what we do and how we feel about ourselves. Linking to the ‘I’m not good enough’ limiting belief, we might not apply for a new role we are more than capable of doing.

Though we may not be aware of them, our limiting beliefs are often the root cause of getting stuck and struggling to reach our potential. They can also lead us to miss out on things we might enjoy and really want to do.

beliefs stem from early childhood when we were told something and internalised it as a fact. It is often a simple comment perhaps someone telling us we were useless at something, and we then believe we are useless. The issue is that we generalise this belief, and we don’t go back to challenge it. We continue in life with this perspective framing our world.

We shouldn’t beat ourself up about our limiting beliefs, generally they are trying to keep us safe. For example, ‘I’m not good enough’ limiting belief means we don’t apply for a job then we can’t fail at it and feel stupid.

Identifying our limiting beliefs

Although there are common limiting beliefs, we each have our own unique set created by our life experiences.

To identify our own limiting beliefs the first step is noticing our thoughts.  Most of us have an ongoing internal narrative that we accept.  If we monitor this and pick up negative self-talk patterns in everyday life, it is possible to identify when those unproductive thought processes arise.

This literally means catching your thoughts. Notice the actual words you are saying to yourself. As examples:

• If you want to do something but are held back, what are the thoughts that hold you back?
• If someone doesn’t reply to a message you send them, what are you telling yourself are the reasons?
• If you are asked to take something new on at work, what is your instinctive thought response?

When we have identified them, we can then take control and feel empowered to challenge them and create helpful change. In other blogs we explore the impact of limiting beliefs and changing our limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs are explored in detail in the Accepting myself module of Unleashing You, the ILM approved programme for personal growth, increased performance, and enhanced wellbeing.