Limiting Beliefs & Infinite Possibilities

As February is in full swing and 2023 is well underway, it’s a good time to take a moment to reflect on the long-standing beliefs we hold that could potentially get in the way of us achieving our full potential this year. I call these limiting beliefs.?

Limiting beliefs are those beliefs we formed as a child, from the society we grew up in, our parents, guardians, our first friends. We didn’t recognise them as beliefs at the time, they were all we knew and formed the basis of everything we did & proceeded to do.?

Georgia Cecile, 'UK Jazz Act of The Year' & 'Vocalist of the Year' (Jazz FM 2022) is a focal point in a new wave of contemporary jazz acts in the UK. I talk to Georgia about all things limiting beliefs and how to overcome such beliefs in order to live in alignment with your purpose.?

Her beautiful debut album “Only the Lover Sings” is out now, while her highly anticipated duet masterpiece (a collaboration with her boyfriend, jazz pianist Fraser Urquart) is due for release later this month. She is also my best friend, so it goes without saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and being able to collaborate in such a way. I hope you do too!

Keep reading to learn about the various ways you can work to overcome your own limiting beliefs and move towards a greater potential.

For those who don’t know you, tell us a little bit about your story

I came from a big musical family and music was always part of my family life. It wasn't until I was older that I realised music could be a career path. I left school and went to university to study law but quickly realised that it wasn't for me and changed to a degree in music at Edinburgh Napier University.

My mum sent me to piano lessons as a kid and I was always at dance classes so music and performance were an integral part of my childhood and teenage years. I started writing songs as a teenager - poetry and melodies mainly. I then turned them into songs and found a cathartic and expressive way to explore what was going on in my head and my heart.

Did you have limiting beliefs growing up?

Of course, I think everyone does to some degree. I didn't believe that music was something I could do as a job or as a career. I had dreams that you could be a famous popstar but everyone always said that it was a one in a million chance! I didn't consider that there are millions upon millions of people who have extremely successful careers in the music industry. Why not focus on those people?

Once I decided to make a go at being a full-time artist I struggled with breaking through and being taken seriously as a young woman in a very much male dominated genres such as jazz. I was on a path of self discovery and learning my craft before I felt ready or good enough to get my music out there.

How did you overcome that and eventually break through?

I found artists, particularly other female artists, who I looked up to and who were doing what I wanted to do. I looked at their career when I examined the journey and I recognise that it was also full of setbacks, highs and lows, and in doing so recognised they are just humans just like me and if they can achieve it then so could I.

The second major thing was - instead of it being one huge daunting dream to be a successful artist, I split it into smaller dreams. For example playing at the major jazz festival or releasing a single or getting some funding to record an album. I split it into manageable bite-size goals that felt less daunting and achievable. From there, I dedicated my life to taking on those goals, persevering and building my reputation and persona in the industry. I isolated myself with excellent musicians and learned from them, and kept faith at the heart of what I was doing.

I love that. Your unwavering faith is something that has always stood out to me. Do you ever experience self-doubt??

Self-doubt is an integral part of any success story and the sooner we recognise that we should accept it and embrace it as part of the daily journey then the sooner we realise that it will not be a deterrent to us putting one foot in front of the next. I surround myself with people on a team who have other strengths so that we can pull together as a team.?

That increases the momentum and also the speed at which goals are achieved and builds confidence. Delegating tasks to others and letting go of a sense of perfection has freed me of such self-criticism. I also think letting go of expectations has been monumental for my general happiness!

Letting go of expectations is something we could all benefit from I think. How do you keep going when things get tough?

I just remember to keep joy at the centre of what I'm doing. I like to look at how far I've come and reflect on the things that I have achieved so far. That acts as evidence and allows me to keep trust in myself to move forward.

I remember the effect that my work has had on others and the beautiful connections I have made through it. That is a good enough reason to keep going.

I try to remember that it's the small wins, the small everyday wins, that eventually amount to the huge successes. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other then I know that I'm still climbing the mountain and getting higher each time.

I also like to keep in mind that as soon as I've climbed one mountain, another appears and the bar is raised each time. I like to keep it joyful and lighthearted and know that I'm in this for the long-haul. It sounds cliche but there really isn't a destination - you have got to have joy in the journey.

What’s the single biggest piece of advice you’d give to someone thinking about pursuing their childhood dream?

I think it was Jim Carrey who said this and it really resonates with me. He said that "the time will pass anyway so you may as well spend it doing the thing that you love the most".

Can you relate to having an “expander”*. If so, who is yours?

I think it's so important to have mentors and people that we look up to in our industries. If you can, you should befriend your mentors and even people who seem out of reach,?get to know them, speak to them, send them a message. You will realise they're just human being like you and it makes the dream feel so much more achievable. People also really want to guide you!? Some of my expanders are singers such as Cécile Mclorin Salvant, Samara Joy - who just won a Grammy! It's easy to feel a little jealous at times, it's only human, but I have a method of dealing with this feeling. It's a Mantra that goes: "thank you for showing me what is possible". This quickly changes the energy from lack to gratitude.

*If you missed it in my February newsletter, coined by leading manifestation expert Lacy Phillips, an “expander” is someone who is similar to you in some way, yet contradicts your limiting belief in another way, therefore showing us what is possible for ourselves. It can be anyone - from someone you know, to a media icon. The important element is that they are similar to you personally in some way, therefore have the power to “expand” your limited belief about yourself.

What are you working towards in 2023?

My words for this year are: command and action.

To not be afraid to ask for what I want and to take action (no matter how small) towards my goals. My goals are:

• Recording and releasing new music that is in alignment with my soul
• Keep reaching a wider audience with my music
• Get a record deal
• Sing on Jools Holland, and?
• Go on tour in Europe & Japan

Not too many then?! ??

If you enjoyed reading this interview, why not check out her velvety tones on Spotify? Enjoy.

What is your limiting belief about your career? Can you find an expander for yourself right now?

How can we overcome limiting beliefs?

Rational emotional behavioural therapy (REBT), was the earliest known form of psychological therapy (1950s) targeting limiting beliefs. REBT aims to target irrational thought patterns through helping clients surface, trace and challenge a range of self-limiting beliefs.

Schema Therapy came a lot later, in, 1990s. Schemas are defined as self-enduring themes that are formed in childhood and adolescents. Schema therapists will apply a range of techniques to help clients overcome maladaptive schemas, which can help reduce the root cause of self-limiting beliefs. These Schema Therapy techniques can include empathic confrontation and limited re-parenting, just to name a few. There are now many other options in the field of psychology, including some types of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

An alternative approach grew in popularity in the 2000s. Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) is a modern form of hypnosis pioneered by therapist and author Marisa Peer. RTT aims to transform limiting beliefs by creating new neural pathways with more despicable beliefs, through repetition of words during a relaxed, hypnotic state.

Consciousness Coaching (the coaching method I practice) uncovers limiting beliefs through questioning clients unconscious belief systems and challenging them to create new, more empowered beliefs. This can combined with other tools like visualisation meditations and affirmations in order to reinforce beliefs. Through acting from a more empowered belief, clients are able to prove their limiting beliefs wrong and gain confidence in areas of life they never thought possible.

Interested to challenge your own limiting beliefs & unlock your full potential? Enquire about how coaching can help you thrive in your career.