Self Limiting Beliefs
Self limiting beliefs hold us back from achieving success. Think about cartoons you have seen where there is an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder. A self limiting belief (SLB) comes from a place of negativity, it is the “devil” sitting on your shoulder. Too often we let the negative thoughts take over and essentially keep us from taking bold steps and stretching ourselves outside our comfort zone.
An SLB is essentially a lie that you tell yourself. It is an assumption that you have included as part of your life story regardless of whether there is proof that it is true. They cause you to create self imposed limits. For example, if you have been downsized you can tell yourself that the company “made a huge mistake by letting me go, but they must have picked me for a reason.” You can take that thought and work it over until you turn it into a statement such as, “I must have done something wrong because they eliminated my position.”
Another self limiting belief is “I’m too old to change careers, nobody will hire somebody with my skills at my age” or “nobody is hiring recent graduates like me because I don’t have any experience.” It is easy to believe these types of statements as facts when you repeat them over and over to yourself and to anybody who will listen.
I challenge you to take time to identify your SLB’s. Once you are able to catch yourself repeating a negative statement write it down, then list all of the supporting evidence that “proves” your assumption.
What has led you to believe that the statement is true? Did you learn that you were not a quick learner when you were in school? Did somebody tell you that people under thirty and over 35 never get hired?
Once you have identified one of your SLB’s and the “proof” behind it, you can begin to shift your thinking. Coaching can help facilitate the shift, but you can also take steps to alter your thought process independently. Ask yourself:
1. Is my SLB is helping me achieve my goals?
2. Is my SLB a productive belief?
3. Is believing that I can’t do, achieve, or try something before I have really tried counterproductive?
4. Is it possible that my SLB is false?
5. Is fear the reason I have created my SLB
5. Is fear the reason I have created my SLB
What would our lives be like today if Einstein shut himself down before he introduced the theory of relativity or Edison believed that electricity was useless?
Consider this,
· It is up to you to make something possible.
· It is up to you to alter your SLB’s and revise what you are willing to do to achieve your goals.
· It is up to you to reframe your thoughts and actions so that you are willing to move outside your comfort zone.
If you want to eliminate your SLB you need to take productive action. You need to
1. start doing things that will help you explore new possibilities
2. talk to people who can support your success and encourage you to take action
3. Explore many options that will enable you to explore alternate outcomes.
Success takes time and effort. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen if you take action and believe in positive possibilities. It is up to you to take responsibility for your success. It is up to you to overturn your SLB’s. Most of them are “stories” we tell ourselves as a way to protect ourselves from failure. There are always exceptions to the “rules” that we create for ourselves.
I challenge you to change your patterns, alter your perspective and revise your negative thoughts into something positive.
