Your beliefs have power. They dictate what you will and will not do. And when you let them hold you back from things you want, they become limiting beliefs.
And these pesky things can subtly wreak all sorts of havoc in our lives. They become self-made ceilings that we live under until someone shows us the way, or we see a ray of light peeking through and get curious.
Let me illustrate.
Back in college I hated running. I was more than glad to be rid of that dreaded PE mile from high school, and I’d never had any intention of taking it up again. No thanks.
But ya gotta stay in shape and one day my friend asked me to go for a run. Now at the time, I had never run more than a mile. In my head, the mile marker was it. There simply wasn’t anything beyond it. You ran a mile. You were done. End of story.
So we went for a run and I kept pace with her. It was tiring and exhausting and justtttt as hateful as I always remembered. Eventually we ended up back where we started and slowed to a walk. I was so glad that mile was done, I bent over my knees in exhaustion and glanced at my phone to see the time and almost choked. We’d just run 2 miles.
I felt a sense of elation rush through me. It had never occured to me that I could run 2 miles (nor had I ever had any notion of doing so). My friend had just unknowingly broke me of a belief I had held for the last 6 years.
It inspired me. If I could run 2 miles, could I run more?
And that’s how I started running. It started with a few 5K’s, a 10K, and many, many training runs. I started to find a rhythm and cadence to it. Ultimately I set some goals and built up to the grand crescendo of my running career, a whole half-marathon. Which, for those of your who don’t run, is a whooping 13 miles. 12x further than I previously thought I was even capable of completing.
Breaking through that limiting belief allowed me to find something really wonderful on the other side. To this day, it’s still something I look back on with pride.
I’m sure you’re holding onto limiting beliefs as well. Some are small, mere inconveniences, but some are HUGE – they could even be holding you back from your dream job, or partner.
The beauty of the message today, is that you don’t have to wait for someone else to change your belief (like in my story). You can do it yourself.
So what beliefs may be holding you back? Take a few minutes and brainstorm things small and large in a list. When you’re done, choose one. If you’re new at this, choose the smallest one first. If you’ve done this before, challenge yourself with something bigger.
Write down what your belief is now. And then write down what you want your belief to become.
Example:
Limiting Belief:
I need to be busy all the time to be successful.
Expanded Belief:
I don’t need to be busy to be successful, I need to be intentional. Then I can accomplish more with less time, and reach my goals.
Post notes to yourself in your bathroom mirror. Put it in your car near the radio on a sticky. Put it in your planner. Revisit it often. Repeat it in the mirror until this new belief becomes reality.
When you’re totally sure you’ve got this one tamed, move onto the next one. Each limiting belief that you relieve yourself of, will elevate you to a new plane where you can access more than you previously thought was available to you.
What you believe has such incredible power in your life.
I hope this story helps you identify areas where you can grow your confidence by throwing out a limiting belief and replacing it with something new! Let me know which limiting belief you’re tackling in the comments below.