Break Free From Your Self Limiting Beliefs
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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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.
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.
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!
60 Comments
Rebecca Forst
This is such an important post. I held myself back for far too long because I didn’t realize that it was myself sabotaging my success. Learning about limiting beliefs and how to fight against them was a game changer. Wonderful post!
Jasmyn Wilkins
I think we all fall into that line of thinking at least once which is why we must break free from those limiting beliefs! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
SincerelyKeierrah
Such an amazing post. Informative and motivating. I love it!!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this post!
Shelby
This post really hit home with me. Such great content!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Sarah
So good! I have really struggled with this throughout my life. Even just yesterday I was thinking about my beliefs about my relationships with family, friends, and others have limited me. This is such a powerful message. I would love to see a video that also highlights this topic.
Jasmyn Wilkins
It is amazing how much our own beliefs can really hold us back! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this post and I hope to combat my own belief in doing videos! That is the next step for me!
Rochelle
Love this post and everything it promotes! I think as we get older we form our own belief system and grow in our chain of thought. We are so much more capable than we think we are. Thanks for sharing 💛
Jasmyn Wilkins
I couldn’t agree more! We are much more capable of accomplishing and achieving much more than we think! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Toniann
This is great! Self- limiting beliefs is definitely a real thing and can hinder our lives! This walk through of beginning to eliminate those thoughts is great. Thank you!
Jasmyn Wilkins
You are very welcome and I’m so glad that you found this post to be helpful!
Lindsay
This is so important! Especially the “is the limiting belief true?” part. So many times the things we tell ourselves about the things we want to do, aren’t even remotely true.
Jasmyn Wilkins
That is so true and why it felt like a light bulb moment for me! If there is no evidence to demonstrate that the limiting belief is true, then it can’t be!
Sara
Great post! It’s interesting how we do limit ourselves and don’t even realize when or where it came from. Those thoughts can be extremely self limiting! Good reminder to break those habits!
Jasmyn Wilkins
It is interesting when you really think about where these beliefs stem from! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Karen
What an awesome post, Jass! Limiting beliefs seriously hold us back from so many amazing things in life. Something I struggle with is jumping to the worst-case conclusion before something even happens – definitely hoping to work through that x
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much and I’m sure you are not the only one who struggles with jumping to worst-case scenarios! I’m so glad that you enjoyed this post!
Clarissa
This is great Jass! My latest post talks about many of these same issues. Mindset is so important! Reframing is a really useful technique. Thanks!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Reframing can really be powerful when used in the right way! So glad that you enjoyed this post!
Amy
Thanks for breaking it down so clearly! Loved this post!
Jasmyn Wilkins
You are very welcome! Glad that you found this post helpful!
Nikki Lamprecht
GREAT post! I’ve discovered some limiting-beliefs I’ve had since forever and I was never aware. It’s so important to actually know we can change them. I’ll definitely be using this guide. Thank you xx
Jasmyn Wilkins
Yes, we can change them! Especially if we begin to percieve them differently! So glad that you found this post to be helpful!
Jimmy Clare
great ideas and i need to try more of this
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much! So glad that you enjoyed these ideas!
Emma Eggleston
Great post! Self-limiting beliefs are such a roadblock for so many women.
Jasmyn Wilkins
They truly are! So glad that you enjoyed this post!
Jessi
Love this so much! Self limiting beliefs are what holds us back! The mind is such a powerful thing. Fantastic read.
Jasmyn Wilkins
The mind really is a powerful thing! I’m so glad that you loved this post!
Wughangar Rose
Wow! I have to link this to my website! Www. Spillthetea.co.ke It’s powerful and it’s time we all are aware of how we are out own enemies .
Jasmyn Wilkins
It is crazy that we can be our own enemies! And you are more than welcome to link this post! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
April Haynesworth
Breaking old negative thought patterns is a process, because you have to keep speaking positive affirmations over yourself and at the same time we have to let go and forgive others of the way they treated us before we can fully change and move on.
Jasmyn Wilkins
You couldn’t be more right! It is definitely a process of identifying the root of where these beliefs come from and finding a way to forgive ourselves and others for feeling this way about ourselves. Definitely not an overnight process, but we have to start somewhere!
Anitha
Self limiting thoughts hold us back for moving forward, either in personal life, career or relationship s. This is so informative. Thank you for sharing this
Jasmyn Wilkins
They sure which is exactly why we need to break from them! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Moneka
I totally agree. We limit our happiness. We are free to become who wee need to be. Thank you.
Jasmyn Wilkins
We are and we should become who we need to be! Glad you enjoyed this post!
Erin
Great post! Loved reading it!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much and I’m so glad that you enjoyed reading this!
hari
wow! this is a much needed post.
limiting beliefs are the stopping force behind us moving forward in every aspect in our lives.
awesome read! thanks for sharing.
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much! So glad that you enjoyed this post!
Subarna
A very inspirational post!! Very often we underestimate ourselves, we lost faith on ourselves. Your post motivate us to be positive!! Thanks for sharing!!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you found this post motivational and positive!
Hannah
This article is so good and just by reading this makes me happier! As a new blogger, I have SO MANY limiting beliefs and that really ruins my mental state. After reading your suggestion, I decided to be laser focus to crush my goals! Thanks
Jasmyn Wilkins
I’m so glad that you felt happiness from reading this post and I hope you crush your goals!
Tammy Harris
What a great article! I was so bad at limiteding my beliefs and I waited until I was in my 50’s to do what I am so passionate about. I am a fellow blogger in the health and wellness and I had wanted to blog for many years but was too scared to make that leap of faith. Your blog is awesome! Thank you for sharing with us. Have a bless day~
Jasmyn Wilkins
Aw thank you so much and I’m glad that you enjoyed this post! I’m so glad that you started following what you are passionate about!
Poli-Archivist
“I am capable of receiving love and care.”
I love that!! Great and inspiring post!
Jasmyn Wilkins
Thank you so much! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Kristaleagh Walthall
Wow. I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear this until I read this post. I definitely have a lot of self-limiting belief I need to work through. Thanks for sharing this!
Jasmyn Wilkins
You are very welcome and I’m glad that you enjoyed this post!
Tina
Great post! Definitely need to stop putting ourselves down and appreciate our strength and embrace self-love!
Jasmyn Wilkins
I absolutely agree! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Stephanie
That I’ll never be able to read music well enough to play the piano again. 3 of my kids and I just started taking lessons. It’s going to be hard work but I will be a sight reader. 😊
Jasmyn Wilkins
That is amazing and a step in the first direction of breaking that belief! You will be playing in no time 🙂
Amanda Bradley
Great post! Self-limiting beliefs can be crippling but breaking free is the most amazing feeling in the world! Thanks so much for posting!
Jasmyn Wilkins
You are very welcome and I couldn’t agree more! Glad that you enjoyed this post!
Shala
I love this post so much. Very helpful for me.
I added it to my blog’s weekly inspirational roundup:
https://curatingstories.com/2020/11/01/collected-for-you-1/
Jasmyn Wilkins
Aw, thank you so much! I really appreciate that and will have to check it out!