Blocking Yourself
/In the study of human potential, the working theory is that humans have endless potential but hold themselves back from their own greatness. Most of the research in human potential points to “limiting beliefs” as the problem.
What are your limiting beliefs?
Here are some common ones:
I don’t fit in.
I’m not smart.
I make bad decisions.
I have no self-discipline.
I’m too old/young for...
I will never have enough money.
I’ll never have the body I want.
I don’t deserve wealth.
I’m a mess/disorganized.
This (therapy, diet, workout, plan, treatment) won’t work.
I’ll work hard and then still lose.
Bad things happen to me.
People won’t like me if I…
I have bad luck.
I can’t be trusted.
If I dream big, I’ll be disappointed.
Limiting beliefs are thoughts repeated over and over again in our brain until they become neural pathways (“cattle paths” if you have my book, page 263). Neural pathways feel true because we have repeated the thought so many times, but from research in neuroplasticity, we know that beliefs can be re-wired at any time.
Here is an exercise to help you begin to reprogram limiting beliefs:
1. Pick one limiting belief that you want to work with for this exercise, write that at the top of a page.
2. When do remember first thinking this thought? (Write what age, grade, situation, or time in your life)
3. Now write a description of the circumstances around that time. (Where were you, what do you remember about that situation, what were people saying, how did you feel, anything else you remember about the situation.)
4. Notice how many years you have been reinforcing that story. It might be decades. Just let it sink in that this has been a belief you have told yourself for a long time.
5. Now consider how that thought serves you today. What does believing this limitation about yourself protect you from? How does this allow you to hide? How does believing this keep you safe? (For example, if I don’t think I make good decisions then I have an excuse to never make a decision. It keeps me safe from being wrong. It protects me from experiencing consequences of my decision. I leave the responsibility of decisions up to someone else and I’m never on the hook.) Get honest with yourself here, it will lead to a lot of insights if you can let yourself tell yourself the truth.
6. Now evaluate how this belief blocks you from your potential. What is it impeding? What would happen if you believed the opposite of this limiting belief? What if this thought was never true? Flip it around and tell yourself the opposite as if it is a fact (“I don’t make good decisions” becomes “I make good decisions”), what do you notice about how you feel when you think that thought instead? What if that were true, then what would you do differently?
7. With the new awareness, you get to decide if you want to keep repeating that limiting thought or do you want to re-wire your belief by being intentional about choosing a new thought? If you choose the path of new thinking, then repeat that new thought as often as possible until you begin to believe it.
That is how you unblock yourself and start living into your endless potential.
Every human being is full of untapped potential.
Stop blocking yours. If you need someone to walk through this with you, I have a team of coaches that can help you get free from limiting beliefs at compassionfix.com.
Next time you feel stuck, explore your limiting beliefs. The blues we feel in life are often associated with a limiting belief. There are stories we are telling ourselves that block us and makes us blue.
The only thing blocking your potential is you.
Help yourself get out of your own way by repeating this exercise everytime you notice a new limiting belief. Most of us have many of them…but now you have one less!
Sending you lots of love as you step into your potential,