Self limiting beliefs, that’s what I am talking about. A lot gets done if you just get up and do it. A lot can be achieved if you set out believing that you can.
I know that you have heard or read words to this effect several times. But have you also contemplated on the words for a while? To check if, unknowingly and unwittingly, they apply to your status? It’s strange sometimes the things that we realise about ourselves, what’s holding us back, what we fear and why do and don’t do certain things. But we need to allow that kind of enlightenment to come to us. Sometimes its not easy. More on this later.
I write about this because I learnt a few things over the years. Things based on experience and observation.
I realised that people who are successful are often the people who are confident about their abilities or at the very least, they are dog headed about what they want in life.
Just as often, these people are not necessarily more intelligent or possessed of special and rare talent. They are just people who believe they can and are ready to act.
Self limiting beliefs are all about thinking that you cannot do something without having tried to do it. They are about not wanting to take a chance or taking that extra step to get where you want to go. The step doesn’t even have to be a big step. Starting something new or learning something new can seem intimidating and you can feel overwhelmed and dis-heartened at the thought or it.
Self limiting beliefs make you hesitate. You are never sure if you can do it. You fear failure. You lack the urge and the drive to take the leap. This lack of belief in yourself means that you never rise up to an occasion and to your true potential.
How do you know if you have self-limiting beliefs that are stopping you from doing what you want? Try this…
If you feel that you cannot do something, explore where that sentiment is coming from. Is there a reasonable explanation for it? If not, then it is probably a self-limiting belief. Remember two things. One, you have to be brutally honest with yourself. Second, give yourself time for introspection. On the first attempt your mind will probably not reveal what it has become so good at hiding for so long. But in a a relaxed moment, when it’s guards are down, it will let you glimpse the truth.
Many times we need someone to believe in us before we can believe in ourselves.
Someone to make us see what we are capable of. Just as often we also need someone who keeps up that confidence and positivity in us. Some of us are lucky to have such a person or many such people around us. But what if we don’t?
It is important to believe in yourself even before someone else does.
Many times that’s what it takes. People believe in you because they see that you believe in something. Confidence is contagious that way.
Do what you are good at or what you are interested in. Learn something new and more about what interests you. Be bold about it. Step up and act. They say fate favours they brave. And there are so many great examples around us. All the great stories come from being confident and brave.
Be brave.
A positive mind is the road to a better life. We need to expect success in order to succeed. You may get lost on an unpaved road, but prayer and determination will set you on the right path.