Self-limiting Beliefs

“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.” – Tony Robbins

Are you what you wish to be or are your limiting beliefs stopping you?

Have you have told yourself or others that you are a failure or that you are unlucky or too old, or that you are not smart enough? These are limiting beliefs that are holding you back.

Limiting beliefs are thoughts and opinions that we believe to be true and are often at the subconscious level, which means we are not even aware of them. These beliefs are based on our past experiences, values, upbringing, schooling etc. They become the basis of our feelings and emotions and affect how we behave.

Where do limiting beliefs come from?

Morris Massey, sociologist describes the ages between 0-7 as ‘The Imprint Period’, when children absorb everything around them and accept much of it as true. During this period confusion and blind belief can lead to early formation of trauma and other deep problems. The way in which we perceive the world is greatly influenced by our experiences during this period.

When I was 8, I recall struggling with learning my 7 times table. My teacher commented on how slow I was at learning this table. The meaning that I applied to this comment was that I was not as smart as the other children. I held on to this limiting belief throughout my life and it influenced my further education and career choices.

I had the opportunity to examine this limiting belief as I went through my Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) training. I realised that my belief was not true, I just learnt Maths at a different pace to others.

Robert Dilts suggests that if you want to change or improve your behaviour, for example, it can be useful to investigate what beliefs you have about this. Limiting beliefs can be replaced with new beliefs which will enable you to achieve the success you want.

If your results do not reflect your potential, I can help you investigate this and help you uncover as well as change your self-limiting beliefs.