Friday's Rocket Fuel: What Limiting Beliefs Are Holding You Back?

Have you ever had a belief like:

• I'm too old to go back to school
• I'm too shy
• She/He would never go out with someone like me
• You need to have a PhD to do that job
• I'm not good at ...

These are all examples of Limiting Beliefs. What is a Limiting Belief?

Limiting Beliefs are ideas or principles that you accept about life, yourself, the world, or others that limit or hold you back in some way.

With limiting beliefs there is little to no evidence that the belief is true. Often we have beliefs from childhood that may have been based in truth at the time but are not necessarily true anymore. For example, people will laugh at me when I give a presentation. Perhaps you had an experience like this in middle school or high school. However, now you are in a professional environment. What is the likelihood that people listening to you give a presentation will laugh at you? I would suggest it is slim at best. Yet, perhaps you are still terrified at the prospect of giving a presentation.

When you recognize that you have a limiting belief, think about where that belief came from. Is it based on your experience? Did someone tell you it was true? Did you just make it up because you thought it makes sense?

Once you acknowledge your limiting beliefs and where they came from, think about how this belief has served you well and how it has held you back. Think of an alternate belief that you could hold that would serve you better. For example:

• I can go back to school anytime
• I enjoy talking with people
• She/He would go out with someone like me
• You need to have the right skills to do that job
• I'm good at ...

What is one limiting belief you have and what are you going to start doing now to change it create more success in your life?