Want to know how you can overcome your limiting beliefs so you can live your life the way you always wanted? If your answer is a yes, this article is for you. Read on to find out how you can identify your limiting beliefs and what you can do so these do not get the best of you. 

Was there ever a time when you tried so hard to achieve something, but that little voice in your head said…

“Nope. You’re not gonna make it. That’s too much for you.”

Or maybe you set your sights on a certain goal, and that little voice immediately piped up, saying…

“That’s not gonna work. You’ll never be able to get that done.”

You probably can relate to both situations, lovely. And to be honest, dealing with all that can be frustrating, right? Fortunately, you’re not alone. I’m sure a lot of people, including me, can relate to that frustration.

Both of those statements I’ve mentioned are typical examples of what we call, ‘limiting beliefs.’ And these beliefs are exactly what’s keeping you stuck in your journey towards becoming the empowered introvert you want to be.

You see, ”limiting beliefs” is simply the fancy term for “excuses”. And these excuses are statements that our minds come up with so we could always have things the ‘easy’ way.

In other words, limiting beliefs keep us within our comfort zones. They keep us from going down what our minds perceive as a bumpy trail towards success. And if we’re not careful, these little voices in our heads can turn into deafening roars of negativity that could send our lives downhill.

Remember that famous quote from Henry Ford? 

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”

Henry Ford was absolutely correct. Our success (and failure) all begins in our minds. Whether we’re conscious of our beliefs or not, we listen to our thoughts every day. So can you imagine just how much damage all your negative thoughts can have on your goals? And we’re not just talking about personal goals. We’re talking about your professional goals as well.

You may not be conscious of your limiting beliefs because you’ve probably never had the chance to explore your mind in-depth. But it is only by changing your thoughts that you can hope to change your life completely. 

So if you want to overcome your limiting beliefs, then it’s about time that you tune in to your thoughts. Rewrite the script in your head and turn all those negative thoughts into optimistic messages.

But for you to do that, you first have to go straight to the core of these statements. That means understanding why we have limiting beliefs so you can find ways to stop these beliefs in their tracks before they can wreak havoc in our minds.

Let’s talk about that.

Why do we have limiting beliefs?

Good question. Wouldn’t life be easier if we just didn’t have to deal with all these negative thoughts?

Well, for one thing, limiting beliefs usually come in the form of unconscious thoughts. They’re part of our defense mechanisms against disappointment, failure, and frustrations. And these defense mechanisms, in the form of limiting beliefs, are formed in response to something traumatic.

For example, if you’ve had a particularly unpleasant experience– something that caused you deep pain in the past, your mind will subconsciously block or try to escape similar situations. 

So to overcome our limiting beliefs, we have to first learn how to identify these negative thoughts that we’ve allowed into our minds, consciously or unconsciously.

Let’s look at how that works.

Identify the thoughts that hold you back

On a sheet of paper, list down all of the things you want to achieve but are not doing anything about. And yes, that includes all those yearly resolutions you’ve made but never really got to work on. 

Once you’re done listing all those unfinished projects down, write down the justifications you have for not working on these goals. These are your limiting beliefs.

Now that you have identified your limiting beliefs, it’s time for you to deep-dive into where these beliefs come from. 

Here are five possible reasons for your limiting beliefs:

• Your personal experiences

As mentioned, these could be anything traumatic that led your mind to develop certain blocks.

• Your hereditary experiences

Our genetic makeup and individual traits can greatly influence our behavior and ideas.

• Your fears

This one is fairly easy to identify. Your fears are what hold you back from doing things that you perceive to be dangerous. 

• The people you surround yourself with

Whether you like it or not, your social circles can have a huge impact on the way you think and act. And societal norms can also keep us from doing things that others may perceive as ‘unacceptable.’ 

• Your religious beliefs

These beliefs can sometimes be at the root of our limiting thoughts, simply because our religious ideals can be the absolute standard that our minds subconsciously (and consciously) follow.

Identifying your limiting beliefs can be a tough and painful process. So asking a friend or a mentor to help you work through the mental mess can make the entire experience easier. 

7 steps to overcome your limiting beliefs

I wish I could say that overcoming your limiting beliefs is just an overnight process. Unfortunately, you and I know that this is far from the truth. It takes time to overcome any limiting beliefs we may have, especially those we’ve lived by for a long time. 

But here’s one thing I can assure you: You CAN overcome your limiting beliefs. 

Here’s how:

1. Choose a specific limiting belief that you want to overcome

Go back to the limiting beliefs you’ve just identified, and then choose one that you want to work on. I know it can be tempting to try and tackle all your limiting beliefs at once, but it’s always best to go slow with this and just repeat these steps for the next limiting beliefs you want to overcome.

2. Understand that your limiting belief is just a belief

In other words, that limiting belief is NOT a fact. It’s not an absolute truth. And in fact, it may not be even true. 

3. Challenge that belief

It’s difficult to challenge our limiting thoughts if we’ve repeated them in our minds often enough to believe that they’re 100% true. But now that you recognize that it is nothing more than a belief, it’s time for you to question it. 

• Is this limiting belief really based on facts?
• Is there any evidence that proves otherwise?
• Did I always think this way?
• If I were a different person (maybe somebody famous like Oprah Winfrey, etc.), what would I think about this belief?

By questioning your deeply-held limiting beliefs, you help widen your mind’s horizons and think beyond the box. This will help you come to the realization that those beliefs are not helping you grow as a person and that it’s time for you to change the script, so to speak.

4. Recognize the dangers

Your mind needs to recognize the damaging consequences of that limiting belief so it finds the motivation to work against it. For example, if your fear of hurting other people is keeping you from setting boundaries in your life, think of all the negative consequences that are bound to happen because of that limiting belief.

5. Adopt a new belief

You’ll need to replace your limiting belief with another statement that will help you counteract the negative consequences of that belief. Visualize the positive impact that this new belief will have on your life. Doing this will give you the extra motivation you need to unblock your potential.

7. Put your new belief into practice

Now it’s time for you to take action! If you’ve always told yourself that you can’t set boundaries because you don’t want to ‘hurt’ other people, it’s time that you go ahead and start setting those boundaries. Counter your limiting belief with the new belief you’ve created for yourself and work on making that a habit.

Get the support you need

Of course, it’s not going to be easy to overcome your limiting beliefs, especially if you’ve lived by them for years. But with the right support and a huge dose of courage, you can adopt the right belief – one that will change the course of your life for good. 

My 1:1 coaching program, the Introvert Unleashed Intensive, is designed to help you do just that. If you feel that you need extra help in this area, feel free to click here for more details!

As an introvert, you probably find it extra challenging to deal with your limiting beliefs as people like us tend to just keep things to ourselves. But having someone to help you identify and overcome your limiting beliefs is the key to making sure you’re headed the right way.

That’s exactly what I’m here for! 

As a coach for introverts, I have made it my life’s mission to help individuals like you find the confidence to live their lives to the full – without excuses. 

So if you need an accountability buddy and a cheerleader to help you win over your limiting beliefs, click here to hop on a call with me! I’m here to help.