Each one of us is a product of our very "own" belief systems. We inherit some of our beliefs from parents, families, friends, teachers, religion, culture, society, country, world etc. Some we form through our own experiences, some repetitive, some powerful, some painful. Some we borrow from the media, a book, a movie.
We acquire these beliefs and accept them as true and do not even realize how they become part of us and then define the rules of our conduct. Once these beliefs are set, we limit our actions within the limits of these rules. Moreover, we are constantly on the lookout for evidence that supports these beliefs and very often end up attracting such evidence! Armed with evidence we say "See, I told you so!" Egypt "I always knew it would not work!"
What are Limiting Beliefs?
Beliefs can either help us or hinder us. The ones that hold us back from realizing our true potential and success can be termed as Limiting Beliefs, the second of the Big 4 energy blocks "FLIP". We tend to go after something if we know for sure that chances of accomplishing it are high. If we believe that it is not possible to achieve the goal, we may not even attempt it. And even if we do, our efforts would be half-hearted and we would not invest much energy or time into it.
Here's an of quoted classic example of a limiting belief
Running a mile under four minutes was believed to be impossible for a human being for a long time. Physiologists considered it to be extremely dangerous to even attempt it. On May 6 of 1954, Roger Bannister crossed the finish line in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds and explained the presumed limits of the human body. Six weeks later, another runner, John Landy, broke Bannister's record clocking 3 minutes and 57.9 seconds. Since then, the record has been broken a number of times.
How did Bannister accomplish such an amazing feat?
He believed it was possible and dared to dream. He was a physician and used his knowledge to his advantage. He painstakingly researched technical aspects of running, and developed scientific training methods to aid him. He ignored the prevailing limiting belief and created a new belief system for himself (and for others) and worked towards it. What others perceived as a limitation he converted to an opportunity.
Common limiting beliefs that hold us back
Limiting beliefs can be about anything and everything. Work. Money / Wealth. Relationships. Daily living. Health. Success. Failure. Time. Situations. The World. Life. Environment. Here are some common limiting beliefs that hold us back: One has to work hard to achieve success.
Successful people are lucky.
One has to have money to make money.
I do not have enough time or I wish I had more time.
No matter what I do, nothing seems to work.
If I'm rich, someone else will have to be poor.
There is nothing I can do to change my life.
Rich people are selfish, shallow and do not care about others.
You can not have it all.
- Explore some of the limiting beliefs you hold.
- Ask yourself these questions: Where did I get this idea from? How true is it?
- What new faith can better serve you?