Our limiting self-beliefs have perhaps prevented us from truly shining in life. Can you remember when you were a kid? You may have shied away from trying things because you believed you wouldn’t be good at them. When you got older and were pushed into a situation to test your beliefs, you may have realized that you were wrong. So what are your other limiting beliefs, and how do you free yourself from them?
The most successful people have jumped across the barriers of belief. It is the mind that has the capability to give you the success you want or the failures you believe you deserve. Here are some ways to let go of those beliefs so you can excel in business.
Understanding the Ego
You may find it a shocking revelation to consider that you’re making business decisions based on the five-year-old that lives within your ego mind. That’s right. Maybe something happened in the playground or you were embarrassed in front of your peers in Kindergarten. This is where your current day fears may stem from. It can lead you to be afraid of presentations or leading a meeting. You received all the right education, you know your stuff, but you can’t relay it externally to people you work with. It sounds strange when you think about it.
Know that the ego in you was designed to protect you. It takes experiences from your life and perceives some things to be dangerous. It may think that getting your feelings hurt or being humiliated is dangerous. Your ego is telling you that you can’t or shouldn’t try things. You know differently though. If you can take a look at what your mind is chattering about, you will begin to understand that these beliefs you’re carrying around have no merit.
Look Into Your False Beliefs
To combat the false beliefs, you would have to know what they are. If you can look deeply enough, you may even be able to understand where they came from. False beliefs may have come from a childhood experience that holds no basis on the person you are today. Actionable tips are to write down or say out loud what your beliefs are. Look back to the earliest time in your life that this belief became instilled in you. Ask yourself these questions:
- What happened in life to give you the feeling that manifested into false beliefs?
- Did someone hurt your feelings? What did they say? What were their actions? How does it make you feel to go back there?
- Once you have an idea of what occurred to cause this false belief, change the event. Think of that person who caused this insecurity in you. What was their motivation? What shortcomings did they have to inflict their negativity on you?
These scenarios in our lives are often not as we perceive them to be. You may be living off a situation that occurred when you were a child. When you can look at it now as a logical adult with experience under your belt, you can change the story and begin to unleash yourself from the belief.
Look for Evidence that Your False Beliefs are True
There are going to be things that come into your life that will disprove your limiting beliefs. It might be hard to believe that your perception is false. You are dealing with a mental roadblock in your life and it may be hindering you from getting to where you want to be. Breaking down the barriers of your beliefs may include looking for actual evidence that what you believe is true. If your evidence is weak or non-existent, you will naturally try to find out what is true.
Think of What You’re Missing in Life Because of Your False Beliefs
When you think of the things you haven’t received in life because of your false beliefs, you may feel ripped off. This is a good feeling to have actually. It may prompt action to start doing things despite your beliefs. As you begin to do things even though you believe you’ll fail at them, you will begin to see that you built up pictures that aren’t realistic.
If you have done all the schooling and have worked within a certain profession for any given amount of time, you should be able to move forward. If you aren’t, pay attention to what your inner dialogue is saying. Is it holding you back? What are the limiting beliefs that are stopping you from truly thriving with your business?
Imagine What Life Would be Like if You Didn’t Hold on to Those Beliefs
Whatever kind of business you’re involved in, your negative false beliefs are likely preventing you from your ultimate success. If you have a hard time breaking back boundaries to further succeed, you are holding your true potential back. Imagine then, what life would be like if you just went for it. If you didn’t have a nagging voice telling you that there is no way you could do that. When you can see that these beliefs control your life and it’s not a positive influence, it should help you to make changes in your thought process.
When Tim Ferriss went to a Tony Robbins seminar, one of the valuable practices he took from it was called the Dickens Process. It’s aptly named after the Charles Dickens story, a Christmas Carol. Scrooge visited Christmas Past, Present, and Future to learn about himself and grow. Same concept. Tim Ferriss asked these questions as he recalls his education from Tony Robbins:
- “What has each belief cost you in the past, and what has it cost people you’ve loved in the past? What have you lost because of this belief? See it, hear it, feel it.”
- “What is each costing you and people you care about in the present? See it, hear it, feel it.”
- “What will each cost you and people you care about one, three, five, and 10 years from now? See it, hear it, feel it.”
