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A limiting belief is a belief that holds you back from realizing your full potential. They can be hard to spot, but for those who suffer from them, they can be very debilitating and troublesome. So how do you identify them, and how do you change them? The first thing that we will talk about is how to spot them. How to Identify a ‘Limiting Belief’ A limiting belief is almost always a negative thing. It usually manifests itself as a sub-conscious thought that keeps you from trying something. Most of the time, such a belief causes you to give up before you try, simply because you believe that you are no good at. An example could be math… if you have a limiting belief that you are ‘bad at math’, then you may not even attempt to comprehend an in-depth math problem. Limiting beliefs usually have roots in our past experiences. Perhaps someone once told you that you were bad at it, and hearing that really affected you? Or maybe you attempted it once long ago, and failed… so now you believe that you are inherently ‘bad’ at whatever it is you tried. Maybe you took a class on it in school, and failed the class… so you believe within your own mind that there is absolutely NO way that you could ever be good at that particular subject. Maybe you have always received 1-2 referrals every time you asked so you believe that is all you will ever get when you ask. Identifying such a belief is not always easy, but it is essential to be honest with yourself. Anything that you believe is not worth trying is usually tied to a limiting belief, and you usually believe the way you do because of something that happened in the past. How to Get Past It Getting past such a belief can be mentally challenging, because odds are good that you have spent a great deal of time avoiding it or putting yourself down about it or haven't ever thought outside the box and beyond it. Getting past such a mental roadblock can definitely be accomplished, but you have got to use logic… and you are often going to have to bypass your emotions or feelings of inferiority in the process. Begin by thinking about WHY you have this belief. Is it because of something that somebody said? Is it because of something that someone has done? Is it because you have failed at it in the past? Is it because you kept getting the same outcome you now don't expect more is possible? Any number of these things could have happened, but it is important that you do not let these things define who you are or what you can accomplish. When faced with something that you do not believe you can achieve, it is important to think about WHY you feel the way you do. Once you isolate the reason for your limiting belief, you can generally figure out whether it is all emotional, or whether it has any basis in fact. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you continue through the process… • Why do you feel like you cannot accomplish this? • What has happened that led you to limit your own ability to succeed in this area? • Is this belief based on actual facts, or mostly on emotion? • If you are not able to accomplish it now, what would it take to get you past it? • Being as logical as possible, do you believe that you could overcome this limitation if you gave yourself a few good chances, educated yourself, and practiced? • If you expected more, could you get more and be more? • Who can help you identify limiting beliefs you don't even know you have? Limiting beliefs are almost ALWAYS grounded in our emotions, and usually have little logical basis. The simple fact is this… there is almost NOTHING that you cannot accomplish if you… 1. Set your mind to it 2. Determine within yourself NOT to give up 3. Learn as much as you can 4. Expect a different, better, and bigger outcome 5. Practice until you get it right Why Is It Important To Get Rid Of Them? The biggest problem with self-imposed boundaries like this is that they can definitely hinder you from doing your best and reaching your true potential.