How To Use Empowering Beliefs To Overcome Limiting Beliefs And Find Freedom

There are many constraints that can interfere with us reaching our goals in life. Often, they take the form of our own limiting beliefs, and we encounter them in every endeavor. Such limiting beliefs include:

? “I can’t pursue my dreams because I don’t know what I will do if I fail.”

? “I can’t trust people because I was betrayed before.”

? “I don’t want to ask for what I need because I’ll be rejected.”

It is only by overcoming these limiting beliefs that we can achieve the freedom that allows for meaningful, productive, purposeful and fulfilling lives.

How To Initiate A Mindset Shift

A mindset is the way you think about and intuitively feel things. Because your limiting beliefs are triggers to unhappiness, changing your mindset can go a long way toward eliminating those barriers that inhibit your ability to achieve your goals and move forward. Here's how to create a mindset shift:

Acknowledge that the decision is up to you. Sometimes you start a project, whether it is learning a new skill or pursuing your personal development, only to find that your initial enthusiasm wanes. You might come to believe that the task at hand is more difficult than you anticipated or that your progress is too slow. Whatever the reason, remember that the decision to feel stymied is up to you. When you abandon your limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering beliefs, you can control your destiny and move forward, achieving the progress and success you originally envisioned. You do that by deciding to do it, telling yourself that you have the power to do it and acting on that belief.

Remember your values. Faced with pressing problems, myriad details and often conflicting resolutions, it’s easy to get bogged down in the present and fail to see the forest for the trees. The “forest” in my aphorism are your core values, which you have as a permanent compass to guide you in most matters of life, including relationships and difficult decisions. So recognize your core values, and follow their dictates. 

Recognize that limiting beliefs are subjective and unreliable. No matter how strongly you may believe, it doesn't make these beliefs true. Yes, they can be comforting. After all, you may have believed them for years and thus received some value from them. But by definition, they are limiting, and they restrict your ability to achieve what you want and improve your life. Limiting beliefs keep people working jobs they hate and in relationships that are bad for them. They keep novels in drawers and travel plans on the back burner. They support your internal victim’s negative self-talk and cause much unhappiness in the long run. But they are beliefs, not facts.

Increase your emotional intelligence. Increasing your emotional intelligence can raise your awareness of your circumstances and your understanding of yourself and others, and it can improve your ability to act in your own best interests, as well as the best interests of those around you. Decoding your "emotional data" using emotional intelligence tools will support you in rewriting your internal script. 

Overcoming limiting beliefs is no easy task for most people. Many of us have had a lifetime to honor and act on them. And many such beliefs are hidden from us because it seems they are true. However, I have developed some tried-and-true steps that you can take to help overcome limiting beliefs and change your outlook. You can work on them either with or without the help of a specialist, but most people find it beneficial to have an experienced professional to guide them. Whichever approach you adopt, the key is to engage in consistent and honest self-examination without being too hard on yourself. 

Steps To Overcome Limiting Beliefs And Achieve Freedom

1. Understand that limiting beliefs keep you from achieving your full potential. It may take time, but you need to firmly believe in yourself, what's holding you back and your ability to change. 

2. Acknowledge that your beliefs are not facts. As previously stated, they may feel true, but all they are is a point of view — an often mistaken point of view.

3. Be aware. Notice when your internal voice is expressing a limiting belief. This isn’t always obvious, so your job is to constantly be on the lookout.

4. Record. Whenever you hear the voice of a limiting belief, write it down or make note of it on your phone’s voice recorder. When you see the same limiting beliefs popping up time after time, that may help explain why you've been unable to achieve some of your most important goals.

5. Replace a limiting belief with an empowering belief. Add an empowering belief that says you can change your limiting beliefs. And after you’ve noted a limiting belief, change it.

6. Remember what you're capable of. For example, if you catch yourself thinking that anxiety makes it impossible to build true friendships, remind yourself of your ability to improve your communication skills and continually improve your relationships.

7. Lower the volume. Don't allow your old limiting beliefs to drown out your empowering beliefs. Make your empowering beliefs scream from the heavens. 

8. Visualize an alternative outcome. Think about what would happen if you did not have some particular limiting belief. Make your visualization as real as possible. Imagine yourself becoming the person you could be without this limiting belief. Like what you see? You can do that!

9. Look for new opportunities to act. Seek out challenges where you can practice your new enabling beliefs. 

10. Be proud of yourself. It takes courage and patience to remedy these unhappiness triggers. Celebrate your efforts to rid yourself of constraints by empowering yourself through personal development.

Your limiting beliefs keep you where you are or undo your current progress. By ridding yourself of those unhelpful limiting beliefs and shifting your mindset, you can gain the self-awareness and self-confidence you need to create empowering beliefs and stimulate positive, purposeful action.

This article was originally published in Forbes.

Watch The Video

Learn More About Svetlana

Contact InLight Coaching