Have you ever wondered why you aren’t achieving your aims or goals in life even though you have planned it all and are taking action? Achieving goals is not only about planning and taking action. What stops you from moving forward or more specifically identifying your limiting beliefs & negative self-talk?
What are limiting beliefs?
“Limiting beliefs are negative stories you keep telling yourself, a belief about yourself that restricts you in some way and stops you from doing certain things such as I am not good enough, worthy enough or even talented enough which in turn create feelings of doubt, fear and lack of confidence.”
Now we will take a look at where and when these limiting beliefs originate:
Most limiting beliefs are largely developed during early childhood. The author of the bestselling book The Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton (1), talks about how from birth to around age seven, you operate primarily in brain wavelengths that are very close to a hypnotic state.
When you are a kid, you are a sponge, soaking up every little thing around you to record "bad and good" behaviours and emotions. Your limiting beliefs can come from your parents, teachers, the media, or society in general.
Without knowing it, you have been conditioned to think a certain way and to live by rules which you may have never set yourself. They can have positive or negative consequences in your life such as the state of your moods, relationships, job performance, self-esteem & physical health.
The beliefs that you develop become either supportive or limiting. For instance, children growing up in a nurturing environment and being loved and valued will develop the belief that they are loved and that they belong. Then on the other hand, children who are abused or neglected will tend to develop the belief that they are unworthy, not loved and unwanted.
How can we identify our limiting beliefs?
A natural way of doing that is by listening to the little voices in your head. It's that voice that is constantly telling you that you cannot do, be, or achieve something.
This is a typical example:
An Associate Professor aged 43, who had a goal of having better relationships and getting married.
She had limiting beliefs that if she becomes a professor and lose 5kg, she would be ready for a loving relationship.
She got these limiting beliefs when she was only 7 years old. She showed her dad a spelling test, in which she got 9/10. Her dad was not satisfied with the result and rejected it. That young girl, now a very successful Associate Professor, made it mean that she needed to be perfect to be loved.
Can you identify any limiting beliefs you might have? There are many tools to overcome these limiting beliefs and to live a life free from these limitations.
We are all worthy of love and have a purpose in life and only when we deal with the root of our limiting beliefs can real change come.
I am here to help. If you identify these issues in your own life and need support, please get in touch with Teoma Health at: nancy@new.teomahealth.com.au or 0400 656 622.
Reference:
(1)ingKluger J. The biology of belief. Time. 2009 Feb 23;173(7):62-4, 66, 70 passim. PMID: 19248629.