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Throughout our life, we are forming our worldview. Every experience we have and the result of the experience gives us a new belief about ourselves and our skills. This belief gives us some feelings, and our behavior is based on those feelings.
Childhood beliefs have a lasting impact on our life long after we've grown up. As an adult, how does it feel to be reminded of or go through an event comparable to one you had as a child where you were appreciated, valued, and encouraged? Consider another instance in which you were held responsible and reprimanded; how did you react? Is it okay if we go through it all over again?
In the first scenario, I feel proud of my accomplishments, secure in my talents, and value myself. As a result of the second, I might feel bad about myself or ashamed of my actions. I might also try to avoid making the same mistake again. In both circumstances, my belief is based on the experience's conclusion, and if each experience had a different outcome, I would have a different view about it despite the fact that I am the same person.
When we were children and young adults, we all developed a set of beliefs about ourselves and our talents that were the result of various experiences we had. These beliefs now serve us, support us, and are the driving force behind our success and pleasure. There are also another set of beliefs that limit our potential and rob us of our confidence, self-esteem, and pleasure. We can call them dis-empowering or limiting beliefs. I prefer the latter one, "limiting beliefs", because it emphasizes how they prohibit us from taking advantage of the numerous opportunities that life has to offer. These beliefs lead to negative sentiments and self-talk that tells us we're not good enough, we're not deserving, why bother trying when we already know we'll fail, and many other negative self-talk patterns. Terrible self-talk and limiting beliefs or thoughts are a feature of life; who among us hasn't had these kinds of negative experiences? How individuals deal with their inner self-talk, however, varies widely. Being aware of when and how negative self-talk begins is critical.
We may replace our restricting and dis-empowering beliefs with more positive ones that assist and encourage us to achieve more success, but we must go through some processes to get rid of a limiting belief.
My methods for letting go of limiting beliefs and replacing negative self-talk with more positive ones worked for me, and I'm going to share them with you.
- Repeating positive and powerful statements to yourself on a regular basis (affirmations). It's uplifting and energizing.
- Writing down my previous victories and accomplishments, then going back to it when I'm feeling bad.
- Studying and writing about the numerous events and consequences that I've been through, and thinking about how this limiting idea has harmed my life.
- Put myself in the company of inspiring, upbeat people who will lift me up and serve as a constant reminder of all the wonderful things I've accomplished so far.
Hopefully these tools can help you release your limiting beliefs as well. Please feel free to share what has worked for you in the past (in the comments section) or what might work for you in the future (by sending your questions my way).
