What is a Limiting Belief?

A limiting belief is a belief or thought that limits or constrains someone’s potential, progress, or development. This type of belief typically stems from past experiences or false thoughts that keep people stuck in their current situation, preventing them from moving forward and achieving their goals. Examples of limiting beliefs include thinking, “I’m not worthy” or “I can’t ask for that”.

Hmmm does this sound familiar?! How do you know if you’re holding yourself back? Well, it's possible that you might be unconsciously holding yourself back by having limiting beliefs that prevent you from taking action and taking risks.

Limiting beliefs can appear in different forms such as feeling stuck, having a negative attitude, fear of failure, or feeling overwhelmed by the task at hand. This can be particularly troublesome because we often accept them as fact/reality - their true nature 'hides' from us which can make it difficult to spot them and break out of them. 

They can also manifest in the form of procrastination, lack of motivation, and being self-critical. It can also show up as perfectionism, which leads to the fear of making mistakes and the fear of not being good enough. 

Keen to make a change? Then read on to determine how to break through those barriers with some helpful strategies to help you do just that…

First, try to identify the source belief behind your limiting belief. Ask yourself, “What is the true, underlying belief that I have about myself that is preventing me from moving forward?”. Is it a fear of failure, a lack of self-confidence, or something else? Once you’ve pinpointed the source belief, you can start to work on reframing it.

Once you’ve identified the source belief, it’s important to start challenging it. Ask yourself, "What would I need to be believing about myself to make it possible to move forward with this" and then "If I believed this, what action would I take?" and then, you take action as if you believed the empowering belief. We think we have to believe in order to move forward, but actually, it is incredibly powerful to move forward in order to create belief in the form of evidence - we either get the outcome we want, or a learning that benefits us.

Rather than focusing on the negative thought patterns, look for a more positive, empowering thought pattern instead. Ask yourself, “What could I be telling myself that is more encouraging and helpful?” and “How can I use this new thought pattern to help me reach my goals?”.

It’s also important to be kind and gentle with yourself during this process. Remind yourself that everyone has limiting beliefs, and that it’s normal to make mistakes. Offer yourself plenty of grace and understanding.

Limiting beliefs can hold you back from reaching your goals by forming negative attitudes, fear of failure or perfectionism. It’s important to note that it is possible to overcome them and recognise that it can be a challenge to yourself to push past these beliefs and understand it is a practice. You are learning to gather evidence to counter a long-held story about yourself. 

Accept that it will feel odd and uncomfortable in the beginning and you will have moments of drifting back toward that old belief and that is normal - being truly committed to the outcome you would love to create, but allowing yourself room to practise, stumble and learn are all key to realising that you can make change and shape your own world. 

Working with a specialist can catalyse the process of identifying and overcoming your limiting beliefs. If you feel stuck or blocked and suspect some of your beliefs may be contributing, then please don’t hesitate to reach out and book a complementary discovery call with The Success Smith team.