This article will discuss five strategies for overcoming self-limiting beliefs.
Have you ever had a situation where you knew what you should do but you just couldn’t seem to get around it? You were probably feeling trapped and uneasy.
Sometimes it might seem like you’ll never be able to accomplish what you set out to do. Why aren’t you taking action? What exactly is preventing you from making progress? Why is it so challenging?
Can you often be heard muttering, “I don’t…, “Ever find yourself saying, “I can’t…,” “I’m not…,” or “I could never…”? We use them often without considering the depth of their influence. Our beliefs and, more precisely, our disbeliefs about ourselves, other people, and the world at large are expressed via these words.
All that we do is influenced by the ideas we have since they form the basis of our perceptions and our worldview. The things you do and don’t do in life, as well as who you are as a person, are shaped by your beliefs.
Throughout his book What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, Dr. Shad Helmstetter poses the following question to his readers: “Have you ever considered just how much of what you do—how you act, how successful you are—is dependent on the conditioning, the programming you received from others and on the conditioning you subsequently accepted and kept giving yourself?”
Let’s take a look at the origins of the thoughts that prevent us from taking the next step and seeing what we can do to overcome them.
The Roots of Self-Limiting Beliefs are Laid in Early Life
As children, we form our own conceptions of the world. We may or may not be correct in holding them as true beliefs or assumptions.
Our beliefs are said to be restricting when they prevent us from reaching our full potential as God’s children.
Our upbringing shaped many of our core convictions as adults.
Young individuals tend to adopt the worldviews of their parents and other prominent adults in their lives. Recall your own time as a kid. What “captured” you about your parents’ beliefs and actions? Perhaps you did something, and then proceeded to presume that everyone did the same thing. It’s possible that a certain remark someone made to you years ago is still influencing the way you speak to yourself.
Dr. Mark Helmstetter claims that the typical person hears “No,” “what you can’t do,” or “what won’t work” more than 148,000 times by the time they are 18 years old. That dwarfs the number of times we were taught our limits and what we were capable of.
Check to see whether the findings of this study square with your own personal history. How may your current thinking (beliefs) change if a vision was set for what you could achieve?
Mind Over Matter
The capacity of our minds is immense. The more we are exposed to evidence that supports our preconceived notions, the more those notions will become the default lens through which we see the world. Neuroscientists have shown that while we think repeating ideas, connections are formed in our brains.
Neuroscience has shown a link between how our brains are constructed and our ability to accomplish objectives both large and little. To paraphrase Dr. Helmstetter, “how effective you will be in whatever is inextricably related directly to the thoughts and ideas about yourself that you have stored in your subconscious mind.”
It is not until someone else draws our attention to our ingrained assumptions that we become aware of them; many of these assumptions date back to our formative years.
According to Dr. Helmstetter in his book What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, “leading behavioral experts have warned us that as much as 77% of what we think is negative, is unproductive, and works against us.”
An article in Psychology Today provides some hope by quoting Dr. Barbara Markway: “The trouble isn’t that we have negative ideas. The difficulty arises when we allow ourselves to be convinced by our own notions.
Every single one of us, without exception, is guilty of unconsciously accepting our own pessimistic beliefs as fact. Such discourse to oneself is negative self-talk. Before you write this off as something you just don’t do, let me remind you that everyone of us is the single most important factor in our own life. We’re always having a conversation with ourselves. Our minds are always making judgments and observations, even if we aren’t consciously doing so.
Limiting ideas we have about ourselves can have practical applications. These self-defeating ideas keep us from danger, prevent us from failing or having to make any significant changes in our lives, and keep us from having to make any difficult decisions. Beliefs that hold us back need to be challenged and changed, but this requires effort and conscious effort.
Limiting Beliefs That Everyone Has
Beliefs that are too restrictive put obstacles on our path. Among the many ways in which they might influence us is how we handle our time, how we handle money, how we handle the possibility of starting our own businesses or working for others, and how open we are to new experiences.
Is the phrase, “I just don’t have the time “? In our lifetimes, that statement has been made by the vast majority of us. But supposing you had some spare time. In what ways might your life be altered if you really had time to pursue your passions? As the saying goes, “time is money,” therefore if you want to get something done, achieve something, or spend time with someone, you’ll find a way to fit it into your schedule. Is that so? You have 1,440 minutes in a day, and you may want to rethink how you’re using them. Furthermore, let’s be forthright. Each of us has a responsibility to take this step.
Think, “I simply don’t have what it takes,” ever? This is a common topic when talking about starting a company or making a career change. Why do you feel such a strong aversion to failing? You can be reluctant to achieve your goals because you worry about the consequences of doing so.
You can think you don’t have enough money, but what if you’re wrong? Saying anything like, “That’s out of the question for me since it costs too much money” I don’t have enough money to put towards my own development right now. “Only the wealthy can afford to do things like that.” Do you find yourself agreeing with any of those claims?
I’ll never find someone who appreciates me just the way I am. A strong restricting notion about romantic partnerships. Because of the boundaries we set for ourselves, we may destroy our relationships and isolate ourselves.
Avoiding the Effects of Self-Limiting Ideas
- Take note of your internal monologue.
This is the starting point for any transformation. From where comes the notion that…? Then why do you feel that way?
- Express your thoughts out loud.
Is your lack of time or indecision due to a false belief? Put it in writing.
- Seek divine confirmation that this is so.
Pray for God to dispel your false views and reveal the truth to you.
If you need a reminder, John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will proclaim, and he will disclose to you the things that are to come.”
- Reframe your thinking.
Ask yourself “how could I do that?” if you find yourself thinking “I could never accomplish that.”
If you find yourself thinking, “I’m frightened of making a mistake,” try replacing it with, “Mistakes are how I learn and grow better.”
You should consider what assistance you may need in order to proceed.
When a limiting notion pops into your head, jot down the reframed concept and read it aloud.
- Tell the truth to yourself.
The Scriptures are reliable sources of information. If you have a limiting thought that keeps popping into your head, take a few minutes to jot or type up some Bible passages that speak truth to that notion. Put this truth from God’s Word in place of that limiting idea whenever it arises. Simply by saying the passage aloud several times, you may retrain your brain to accept positive, empowering thoughts.
If you’re having trouble getting started because of self-doubt, try this:
Through Christ, who empowers me, I can do everything. Phillipians 4:13
If you struggle with self-doubt and doubting your identity in Christ, try:
I have prevailed. (1 John 5:4-5)
I have worth. (Luke 12:6-7)
Please forgive me. (1 John 1:9)
I am really lovable. (1 John 3:1)
“Do not be conformed to this world’s pattern, but be changed by the renewing of your mind,” it says in Romans 12:2. So that you may know God’s will—that which is good and acceptable and perfect—you must put it to the test.
Your thoughts are powerful mental tools that may be used to shape your mood and guide your behavior.
Maybe you’re not living up to God’s potential for you because you’re believing and accepting ideas that aren’t in line with his will.
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