Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of work on limiting beliefs and it has seriously changed the way I see myself, the people around me, and the things I feel I can accomplish. I’ve come to realize that this is a very powerful and important concept when it comes to growth and success!

What are limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are negative beliefs that function as mental barriers and hold you back from achievement. These beliefs can be about yourself, other people, the world, or life in general. Sometimes you may not even realize that limiting beliefs are the problem keeping you from reaching your goals or feeling good about your life. Until recently, I sure didn’t. These beliefs are often so deeply held that they have become a part of how we function and we don’t even realize what’s truly going on below the surface.

Limiting beliefs can be difficult to discover, work through, and change- but it’s completely worth your time. The work I’ve been doing on my own limiting beliefs and inner self has left me feeling so much more positive, inspired, and confident! It feels good to discover where those thoughts are coming from, realize they are not serving you, and replace them. Here’s how you can start…

Finding your limiting beliefs

First, you’re going to have to identify those limiting beliefs. This takes a lot of deep digging into your inner self. Think about your dreams for your life, things you struggle with, or the type of person you wish you were. What is stopping you from being that person? Spend some time journaling or talking to a therapist or someone you trust to help you find these mental blocks. Often they’ll look something like “I can’t…”, or “I’m not…”, or “I should…”.

  • I can't make money doing what I love.
  • I need to be different than I am for others to like me.
  • I can't do this thing if someone doesn't approve.
  • The things I want don’t matter or aren’t worth pursuing.
  • I should be better at this / Someone else can do this better than me, so why bother?
  • I can’t be vulnerable with anyone.
  • I can’t lose weight.
  • I’m not good at relationships.
  • I can’t ever keep my house clean.

These are only a few examples of the MANY beliefs we often embrace. Your beliefs might even be something very specific and unique to your past and who you are.

Here’s an example…

Let’s say your belief is that you have a bad spending habit, that you always buy things you don’t need or don’t have money for, and that you don’t know how to handle money. If you are telling yourself “I should stop spending money on things I don’t need but I'm so bad with money”, you are doing more harm than good. You are solidifying the belief that you spend money badly more than you are helping yourself stop that action.

Instead, approach the situation with love and compassion for yourself. Why are you spending money on things you don’t need? Does it give you a feeling of control in your life? Was there a time in your life when you weren’t allowed to buy fun things? Find where the struggle originates from and work from there.

Why do we hold on to limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs often stem from our past traumas, which is what can make them so difficult to navigate. We formed these beliefs either to protect ourselves from hurt or because through our trauma we were convinced of a false story about who we are and what we are capable of. The good news is, you have the power to let go of your grip on the past and rewrite that story.

Fear and excuses are other reasons we hold on to limiting beliefs. It’s a lot easier to think “I could never do that” than it is to start something and fail. But if you never start, you also never have the chance to succeed.

How to overcome limiting beliefs

The main idea of overcoming limiting beliefs involves recognizing that although a younger you formed these beliefs in order to protect you, they are no longer functioning that way and are instead hurting you and holding you back. Here are two exercises to practice:

1. What I believe vs what I want to believe exercise

In a journal or on two pieces of paper, write on the first page a list of your limiting beliefs. Then on the second page, write a list directly correlating those bad beliefs with what you want to believe instead.

Example: “I need to be different than I am for others to like me”

Becomes: “I am worthy of love and friendship right now”

Example: “I can’t lose weight”

Becomes: “I have the power to be healthier and feel at home in my body”

If you like, now you can create “I am” affirmations from the list of things you want to believe and put them somewhere you’ll see them and be reminded of them regularly- the fridge, the bathroom mirror, a vision board, etc.

2. Inner child healing

Healing your inner child can be a long and complex journey, but it’s one of the best ways to get to the root of those limiting beliefs. A therapist can help you with this work, but one simple exercise I like is writing a letter to my past self. In the letter, you can reassure your past self that they are safe; that you are sorry for how they were treated in the past but that present-you is here to heal and find better ways of coping.

There are also plenty of helpful books you can read or podcasts you can listen to on this kind of healing, but remember that this journey is incredibly individual and you’re only going to see results if you spend time with your inner self.

3. Practicing positive affirmations to replace limiting beliefs

Positive affirmations are statements that affirm good things you believe or want to believe about yourself- making them the perfect replacement for limiting beliefs. I have a whole post on them here!

I hope these tips on breaking down limiting beliefs were helpful to you! Let me know in the comments.