7 Common Limiting Beliefs & How to Transform Them

Welcome back! Last week , we discussed how many times, we feel like we have to work hard and we're struggling and dig deep just trying to go forward. We look around, and it seems like everybody else has it so much easier. It's as if you were trying to get into a shower when the door is not hinged the proper way, or trying to swim upstream, or trying to get home, but you're in the wrong lane, and you're facing all the upcoming traffic.

Sometimes, the challenges we face stem from our mindset, because it's just not on board. Today, I'd like to share seven of the most common limiting beliefs, and teach you how to turn them around. Keep reading or watch the video below for more...

1. "I Can't"

"I can't do this." "It's too hard." "I don't know how to." "I'm no good at this."

How is that serving you, to believe that? How is that helping you? Let's go over some ways you can rephrase that. Instead of saying: "I can't do this", you can say: "I have not learned how to do this yet." Instead of saying: "This is too hard", what you can say is: "This is not easy." As soon as you switch out a negative word for a positive one, even if it's preceded by the word "not", your mindset changes. Have a look at all the things you've accomplished that weren't easy to do.

If you say: "I don't know how to", well, surely there were other things that you've done before that you did not know how to do! You learned, right? What are they? Make a list of your victories. "I'm not good at this." Well, neither is anyone before trying something for the first time. Of course you're not good at this, because you're not used to it! You can get used to anything. Try saying: "I'm not good at this yet. I'm willing to learn. I'm in the process of learning." Remember the two-step technique ? You need to talk about it in the past, and say: "I used to not be good at this. I used to think it was too hard. I used to think I did not know how to do it. I used to think I was not good at it, and now I'm willing to learn how to change that. I'm in the process of practicing so that I can get better at this. I'm willing to figure this out."

2. "That's Just How I Am"

"Well, I'm like this. That's how I am. I'm just like that."

When you say that, you are at the identity level. You are telling your personal assistant in your head to write it down. If you think that your personality is set in stone, then you are doomed to fail. How is it serving you to believe that you are just like this and that you cannot change? Tell yourself: "I used to think I was like that, and I'm willing to change. I understand that my personality is not set in stone and I'm realizing that I can become more like that if it suits me." You're not just a morning person, nor are you just an evening one. Everything can change. You can be whatever you want to be.

3. "I Don't Deserve This"

"I don't deserve this. I'm not worthy of this. I cannot apply for this new position. I don't deserve to charge that much money for my services, because it's just me."

Our self-worth is very often what's in the way of our success. What you want is to use your self-worth towards success. Instead of saying: "I don't deserve this", you could say: "I used to believe that I did not deserve this, and I'm now recognizing all the things that I have done to make me potentially deserve this. Now, I am willing to learn what it will take and what efforts I can put in in order to actually deserve this." Or: "I'm willing to learn how to love myself. I'm in the process of discovering how amazing I am."

4. "I'm Not Ready Yet"

Sometimes, we just feel like we're not ready. Who has children and was absolutely 100% ready to have kids? Very often, we just need to go for it, and do it. It might be a limiting belief to think that we need to be ready before we do something. Sometimes, we need to just go with it and not wait until it's absolutely finished, finalized and perfect before we launch this idea or this project or this dream. What are the steps to get ready? Can you be 3/4 there and go with the flow for the last portion? Tell yourself: "Okay, I used to think that I was not ready yet, and now I'm willing to learn what it will take. Now, I'm willing to start. I'm in the process of telling myself that I can potentially start, and then I'll figure it out as I go because I'm smart and I'm capable."

5. "They Don't Like Me"

Very often, we also point fingers at others and we believe that everybody's looking at us thinking something about us. We are making up stories in our head, saying: "Oh, so-and-so doesn't like me. They don't think that I should be here. They won't vote for me for the board position. My boss really doesn't like me, this client is not going to work for me. They don't like me." How is that serving you to believe that people don't like you? People don't have that much time! The world does not revolve around us. If you are talking to a group of people and somebody leaves, it may just be because they need to go pick up their daughter. It's not about you. The world does not revolve around us.

If you have been told that somebody actually specifically doesn't like you, well ask yourself what you have done for them to like you!

6.7. "I Don't Have Time/Money"

Those two go together. If you feel like you don't have the resources, maybe it's because you need to prioritize better. Try saying things like: "I used to think I did not have time to exercise, and now I'm willing to learn how to prioritize my schedule. Now I'm in the process of making time. Now I'm choosing different things on my schedule. I'm getting more organized, and I'm in the process of finding time, because it's important to me."

Maybe you can have a look at your finances and say: "Okay, this is important to me. I really would like to be able to afford this. So what else in my budget can be redirected towards this? How can I save for it? Are there any expenses that I have that don't make sense? How can I generate more income? Can I get a part-time job?" The whole time I was building my business, I was working full-time, because I needed to acquire the resources, the money to be able to hire somebody to help me with my website and my marketing efforts. Building a business takes money, and I did not have it, so I needed to continue to work and do something to fix it.

You can choose to believe any of these limiting thoughts, but they are not serving you. It's time to start revamping the way you think so that you can start going with the flow and make things much easier for you. When your mind is on board, that's when you can tap into the best part of your brain, the most powerful and complex structure of the universe, and really unlock your full potential.