Evolving Beyond Inherited Mental Barriers

You may live in the modern world, with its constant change and constant opportunity. Yet many of us have minds that hold layers of beliefs created centuries ago.

These beliefs are practically obsolete but continue to plague us.

If you are like me, you may have even been born in a country that upheld cultural values that directly contradict the values required to be successful in our current world.

For instance, in the United States, culturally we typically speak with confidence, and advancement requires a certain level of self-promotion.

For some who were raised in cultures that value humility more, this feels incredibly wrong.

There are even cultures that look down upon too much advancement. This is sometimes referred to as Tall Poppy Syndrome, meaning that the tallest poppy is the one that gets cut down.

Therefore, the idea is that you should stay an average poppy in order to avoid negative repercussions.

At the same time, we live in a world that requires innovation and constant growth.

Therefore, most of us find ourselves needing to balance the beliefs of our cultures and upbringings with the beliefs required to succeed in our current world.

It is a difficult thing to abandon the beliefs of your culture or upbringing. For many, these beliefs are so ingrained there might not even be awareness that they are the reason for lack of progress.

Common cultural beliefs that keep us from progressing:

1. Fixed Mindset About Abilities

"I believe that my abilities and intelligence are fixed, so I avoid challenging goals and new opportunities because I'm afraid of failure."

2. Conformity and Group Harmony:

"I suppress my unique ideas and avoid standing out because I value fitting in and maintaining group harmony over pursuing my true passions. I feel that I must conform and should not be self-promotional."

3. Hierarchical Respect:

"I feel discouraged from voicing my opinions or proposing new ideas because I highly respect authority and seniority. I believe I must always respect authority."

4. Gender Roles and Expectations:

"As a woman, I feel discouraged from pursuing careers in certain fields or leadership positions. As a man, I feel pressured to conform to traditional notions of masculinity that hinder my emotional expression and collaboration."

5. Family Obligations and Expectations:

"I prioritize family duties over my personal ambitions because family obligations and expectations are paramount in my culture."

6. Belief in Predetermined Destiny:

"I believe that my success or failure is predetermined by fate, so I feel that my efforts to change my circumstances are futile."

7. Aversion to Failure:

"I am afraid to take risks or try new things because my culture stigmatizes failure, and I fear making mistakes. I believe that I cannot make mistakes and that it's not okay for me to take risks."

8. Value on Immediate Gratification:

"I struggle to achieve sustained success because I prioritize immediate gratification over long-term planning and perseverance."

9. Negative Perceptions of Entrepreneurship:

"I am hesitant to pursue innovative business ventures because my culture views entrepreneurship as risky or undesirable."

10. Educational Constraints:

"I feel restricted in my career choices and potential for success because my culture devalues certain fields of study or education in general."

11. Perfectionism and Certainty:

"I feel that I must be 100% sure before I speak up, which often keeps me from contributing ideas or taking initiative."

As you can imagine, these beliefs are often deep in our minds and influence our behavior in ways that we may not even perceive.

If you feel that you are somehow stuck or constantly battling two identities within yourself, there may be some core beliefs that are still influencing your ability to build the life you want.

Luckily for us, these are changeable. It just requires an awareness of what you believe, why you believe it, and when you started believing this.

Look over the list above. Do you have a part of you that agrees with some of these?