Self-limiting beliefs are the thoughts we hold about ourselves that stop us from taking risks, trying new things, or reaching our full potential. They can come from a wide range of life experiences from our childhood, our familial relationships, and our work. These beliefs are created in our mind and directly affect our emotions, behaviour, and levels of confidence. They can be found in many areas of life, but I have grouped them into three key categories for you to review and score. They are often linked to four root fears:
• Fear of not being loveable.
• Fear of not being good enough.
• Fear of being abandoned.
• Fear of not being safe.
To these, you could add another – the fear of finality, which ultimately links to the fear of death. We fear our demise perhaps more than anything else, and this will be the fear fuelling the other four.
At some level, your self-limiting beliefs will come down to one of these fears. If you can identify the fear, then you are on the road to overcoming its sway on your beliefs.
We tend to instinctively know which one is our core belief. It calls out to us as something we recognise. To address your self-limiting beliefs, try answering these simple questions:
• When did I first notice that I had this fear?
• What circumstances from my past helped to create this fear?
• How does it show up in my professional life now?
• What are the consequences of this fear in my performance at work?
• Is there a new belief I can choose that is more supportive of who I am today?
When you have taken the time to answer the questions, define a phrase or mantra that you can apply whenever you see your self-limiting belief emerge.
Rinse and repeat as many times as necessary to re-code your brain to healthier and more supportive beliefs.
This is one of the many areas of self-development covered in The Female Edge which is available on Amazon.