Are you living the life of your dreams? Are you spending each and every day doing what you love?
If the answer is no, chances are you have some underlying limiting beliefs that are guiding your life away from what you truly want!
Limiting beliefs are patterns of thought that we have picked up throughout our lives that hold us back from achieving what we want most. These beliefs are so powerful that they work in the background of our lives and prevent us from reaching our highest potential!
From the day we were born, society has us programmed to think that only certain things are possible. We are born into a set of “rules” of what is and isn’t possible in our lives, of what we can and can’t do. Some of these things we’ve been taught as a child, by our parents, which were taught to them by their parents, and so on. Even though they did this with good intentions, to prevent us from being hurt in the future, these beliefs take our power away and makes us feel like life is happening TO us, and that we have no control over it! This couldn’t be further from the truth – you ARE powerful, and you have the ability to create anything and everything you want in your life!
If you’re a human living on this planet (and I’m going to assume you are!), you have most likely been living with the same limiting beliefs your ENTIRE LIFE. Even if you're not aware that you have them, they're working behind the scenes in your subconscious mind, and even impacting the choices you make every day!
Some of these beliefs appear to be "obvious" truths, such as: “My doctor always knows best” or “I can’t get my dream job without a degree”.
However, the funny thing about limiting beliefs is that we may not even be aware of them! These are the more pesky and harmful limiting beliefs, which are those we aren’t even consciously aware of – the subconscious limiting beliefs.
Examples of subconscious limiting beliefs include: "I am not good enough for love/friendship/etc..." or “Money is evil and only greedy people make lots of money” or "I don't deserve to make more money".
I truly believe that the only way to achieve what you want in life is to break through the programming and limiting beliefs that society has convinced us is “truth”!
If you have been struggling and are ready to make a shift in your life, here is a 6-step formula for kicking those limiting beliefs to the curb!
- Becoming Aware
Becoming aware of your limiting beliefs is the first step. Where in your life have you not achieved what you truly want? Where have you been holding yourself back? Take a few minutes in a quiet spot to take a few deep breaths and ask yourself what limiting belief may be running in the back of your mind. You are a detective searching your conscious and subconscious mind for what beliefs have been running! Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of quiet for a limiting belief to come to the surface. Write down whatever comes to your mind, along with whether you were previously aware of the belief or if it has been hiding deep in your subconscious.
- Discover the Root
Looking at your newly uncovered limiting belief, evaluate how long this has been a belief of yours. Maybe it started all the way back in your childhood! Was there someone who passed this limiting belief on to you? Maybe a parent, teacher, or friend?
- Evaluate the Belief
Too often, we accept our limiting beliefs as truth, without even questioning them! In this step, ask yourself the question, “Is there a POSSIBILITY that this belief is not true?” Whether the belief is that you’re not smart enough, not attractive enough, whatever it may be, realize that these viewpoints are SUBJECTIVE, not OBJECTIVE. This means that these beliefs ARE NOT absolute truths! Acknowledging that these beliefs may not be true is the hardest step, because you have been reinforcing them to yourself for so long. One of my favorite quotes says:
“We live in a world that worships limitations.” – Tama J. Kieves
We have been taught for years to believe in and fight for our limitations. NOW is the time to realize that when we worship our limitations, we keep ourselves stuck!
- Explore the Impact
Next, think about how long you’ve been carrying this limiting belief around with you. How has it impacted your life? Has it prevented you from applying for a certain school program, chatting with the cute coffee shop worker, or putting a down-payment on the house of your dreams? Think about what your life will look like a year from now if you keep believing this limiting belief. Will you be able to create what you truly want? Realize that this limiting belief has NO PLACE in your perfect future, and it needs to be kicked to the curb!
5. Create an Alternative
Now is the time to create a new, positive belief to replace the old, limiting one. It can be just a small shift – for example, you may not be able to jump from the limiting belief of “I’m too unattractive to find a partner” to “I’m the most attractive person I know!”. Your new, positive belief can be something like, “I am caring and loving and deserving of a partner” or “The perfect person is out there for me, I know it!
6. Reinforce the new belief!
Once you’ve created your new belief that is in alignment with your dreams and desires, the key is to reinforce it into your subconscious mind. Re-affirm your positive belief to yourself by saying it out loud. Write it down on a piece of paper and hang it on your mirror so you can read it every morning. Even if you don't fully believe your new, positive belief, that's okay! Re-programming the subconscious mind doesn't happen overnight. Just trust and know that you are on the right track!
By releasing this outdated, limiting belief, you open the channels for new opportunity to come your way! Now, you can smile and be prepared for financial abundance, love, and whatever else your heart desires!