Self-limiting beliefs
Personal Development,  Positive Habits

Break Free From Your Self Limiting Beliefs

September 16, 2020 / 60 Comments
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When you hear the term “self-limiting beliefs”, what comes to mind?

Do you envision someone going to a job every day that they absolutely can’t stand because they are afraid to look for another?

Or maybe it is that person who starts a project only to throw in the towel a few days later because they don’t think they can finish what they started?

If I’m still not getting to you, what about that person who waits until the last minute to finish a project because they believed that their work wouldn’t be good enough anyway?

All of these scenarios I mentioned above are all examples of what self-limiting beliefs can look like.

If I had to guess, some form of these probably resides in all of us.

The problem with having these beliefs are that they usually hold us back from achieving something we want out of fear.

Fear has a way of manifesting itself in many forms whether it be through procrastinating or just remaining stagnant.

I know personally, my self-limiting beliefs have held me back in a number of ways but I am slowly overcoming them.

Here is how you are going to break free from your self-limiting beliefs.

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Self limiting beliefs

Where Do Self-Limiting Beliefs Come From?

Before we get into that, where do these beliefs even come from?

This is a really good question with a long answer. Because there are a number of reasons why someone may perceive something about themselves that may not be true.

Some of our early beliefs usually are ingrained in us by a our families when we are younger. Which would make sense because these are the people who raise us and set the standard.

If you have people in the home who treating you like you are not smart and unable to achieve anything, then guess what?

You might believe that and therefore carry out that belief.

The opposite can happen in some cases, but this is tough when it’s being drilled into your head on a consistent basis.

Another common belief that develops from your family is the way your parents brought you up is the only way that you should bring your own children.

The problem with this is that every child is an individual and as an individual, parenting will look different from child to child.

As we grow older, we develop beliefs about ourselves from our experiences with people who are over us and people who we feel close to.

Some of these beliefs can show up like:

  • “I will finally be happy when..”
  • “No one cares about me”
  • “Work shouldn’t be fun“
  • “I’m not cut out for that position”
  • “My kids are always bad”
  • “My kids take up all my time”

I could go on and on because there are so many beliefs that we all harbor within ourselves that we believe are true. With such negative beliefs, how do we even begin to make room for the positive ones? Let’s find out how to combat this mindset down below.

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Break Free From Your Self-Limiting Beliefs

Identity The Belief

The very first thing you have to do when trying to overcome self-limiting beliefs is identifying the belief itself.

In a previous post where I discussed how to take back control with positive self-talk, I noted there to be aware of your triggers.

How can you break free from something that you do not know is there?

You know that certain people, places, and things have a way of drawing up fear inside you and trigger a belief about yourself as an individual. Identify what that belief is.

A great example of this is being asked to do something outside of your comfort zone.

For many, public speaking is the one that comes to mind. I know I struggle with it because I tend to ramble and don’t know when to shut it.

I also had this fear of starting a blog because I didn’t think people would care to hear what I had to say.

Had I not told myself that I could start and maintain a blog, I would not have had the opportunities that I have been presented with thus far.

Is the Belief True?

As I was looking into ways to help you all with self-limiting beliefs, I stumbled onto an article by Lynda Hoffman, in which she asks her viewers to find evidence of whether the belief is true.

Can we say “light bulb moment?”

How often do we have these beliefs about ourselves and they are so far from the truth?

For instance, I can say that my daughter is always bad, but I can also think of all the times that my daughter is super sweet and helpful.

Within the moment, we have the tendency to exaggerate our thoughts and trick ourselves into thinking that something can’t be done or true.

But if we really think about it, we can probably find at least one instance that this belief is not true.

If you can’t find an instance within yourself, then I’m sure that somebody out there has done it and they lived to tell the story.

And I can guarantee you that the majority of those people who let go of their limiting beliefs believe it was the best decision they could have ever made.

Reframe The Belief

After we have identified and confirmed the belief to not be true, we now need to reframe the belief itself.

Reframing works a lot like using an affirmation.

Instead of giving in to the belief, you are taking back control by affirming that you are capable of following through with what you say.

Using the examples above, these would be the affirming statements instead:

  • “I am content and willing to receive…”
  • ” I am capable of receiving love and care.”
  • “I can make work fun even within a work environment.”
  • “I will work on getting that promotion.”
  • “I will be present and teach my kids right and wrong”
  • “I can find time for myself outside of my kids”

Notice how every statement above starts with “I”. This is that control I mentioned that you are taking back.

By saying “I,” you are taking accountability for what you saying. Therefore, it is up completely to you and the next action you are going to take.

Act On The New Belief

You knew it was coming. It is now time for action.

With any new belief or habit you take on, it takes time and this is no overnight task.

After all, you have probably been feeling this way about yourself for a long time, so it is deeply rooted.

Take it one day at a time and set yourself up for success. And don’t try to take them all on at once.

If multiple limiting beliefs exist (which they probably do), narrow it down to one and confront that belief.

Breaking bad habits and thought patterns takes a quite few tries before getting it right so give yourself some grace if you revert to old limiting beliefs.

Just simply start this process over by identifying the belief, questioning its accuracy, reframing it, and taking action on the new belief.

If you are looking for more inspiration on overcoming your limiting beliefs, check out this blog post from Omar. He also provides a similar step-by-step framework to help you break free from your limiting beliefs.

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Your Turn

Alright, now that I have shared how you can break free from your self-limiting beliefs. I want to hear from you. What are some of your limiting beliefs that you have about yourself? And what is your plan to break free from them? I can’t wait to hear from you all below and while you are still here, check out my previous blog post below. Until next time!

Self limiting beliefs
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Hi! I'm Jasmyn or "Jas" as everyone likes to call me! I'm a stay-at-home girl momma to 2 beautiful little girls and married to my wonderful husband whom I have been with for 10 years! I'm a book and tea lover and when I'm not working on my blog, you can find me sharing bits and pieces of our lives on Instagram or me strolling down the aisles of Target and DSW! I'm the mama blogger behind the blog, Just Jass, where I offer parenting advice, productivity tips, and positive mental health habits from my perspective as mama of 2. Why don't you join me and my Jassy Fam as we navigate this thing called "mom-life" together!

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