Kill Your Limiting Beliefs

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No Limits





In this article I’m going to show you how to kill your limiting beliefs, so stick around.

Limiting beliefs are the culprits that hold you back from success, happiness and from your true potential. They are those sneaky thoughts that show up every time you feel inspired or motivated to go after your dreams, and they remind you of the fact that you are not good enough. They’re like the barb-wire fence and solid steel bars that are keeping you in your prison cell.

Not only are your limiting beliefs insanely strong (deeply rooted in your mind), they also know some serious jujitsu because they’ll just evade your attempts to overpower them by brute force.

You know what it’s like, I’m sure you’ve tried many a time to brush your limiting belief aside. That voice pops into your head and tells you that you’re not going to make it, or you’re not going to succeed. You try to avoid it and go ahead anyway, only to fail. And then you make your limiting belief stronger, because you now believe that you’re not going to succeed.




Limiting Beliefs




Limiting beliefs are usually formed in the very early stages of your life (but this is not a requirement). It starts when you are exposed to a new situation or a new environment, and you first experiences in that new situation are negative or unpleasant.

If it was a once-off occurrence then it will likely not become a limiting belief. However, if you keep experiencing negative and unpleasant results in the same situation and environment, then you are going to start doubting yourself. You’re going to start wondering if the others are right and if there is something wrong with you.

As time goes on and you experience more negative results (the frequency of which are increased by the doubt you already have), your doubt starts to grow stronger and stronger, until it reaches the point where it is a rock-solid belief that has become deeply rooted in your mind. It has become part of your identity.

At this point it’s basically like you have no free will. You are a slave to your limiting beliefs. Even if you do manage to follow your heart and take action towards your dreams, your limiting beliefs will subconsciously cause you to sabotage your progress and send you back to your old self (which then only serves to confirm and strengthen that limiting belief).

To sum up, a limiting belief is any thought and belief you have that tells you that you can’t do something.

Every thought you have that tells you something is impossible or that you are destined to suck at something forever is a limiting belief. (This does not mean that you should defy common sense and for example try to jump out a plane without a parachute because you have a limiting belief that you can’t fly naturally).



How To Kill Your Limiting Beliefs



The word “kill” may sound a little harsh, but limiting beliefs are really evil so they should be killed and removed from your mind.

The first step to removing your limiting beliefs is to identify them.

You need to know exactly what thoughts and beliefs you have that stop you from being happy and from reaching your goals.

For example, are you happy with your financial situation?
If not, then why not? Is it because you believe it’s hard to make money? Is it because you believe that you are not smart enough to set up your own business? Is it because you think you can’t get a better job?

All the above are limiting beliefs. Once you have identified your limiting beliefs (in all areas of your life; business, dating, social, health etc.) then you can start working on removing them.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to observe yourself and try to identify your limiting beliefs.

Everyone has at least one, but some have dozens. I used to have so many limiting beliefs, and I’ve slowly worked my way through them. I still have limiting beliefs today, and whenever I discover one I immediately work on removing it.

Step 2 is removing your limiting beliefs.

Personally I find that the best way to remove a limiting belief is to prove that it is irrational and fake. You do this with concrete proof and logical evidence.

Find examples of people who have achieved what your limiting beliefs say is not possible.

If you think you are poor because you are dumb and don’t have a degree, then make it your mission to find 3 or more dumb people without a degree who are making a lot of money.

If you are massively overweight and you think it’s impossible to get in shape and become healthy, find 3 or more people who used to be overweight and managed to get slim.

And so on and so forth. By doing this, you prove to yourself that your limiting belief is exactly that…a limiting belief. Now you can say to yourself, “They are just a person, and they were in my situation. If they can do it, then so can I”.

Keep in mind that your limiting beliefs are very strong and very skilled warriors. They will not be easy to defeat and kill, especially not in the first confrontation.

It’s going to take time and repetition of you proving your limiting beliefs wrong. It is your duty to keep proving your limiting belief wrong (by thinking of the people who you use as an example) every time it appears.

The more you prove your limiting belief wrong, the weaker it becomes, until it eventually fades away and has no power over you anymore. And a bonus is that once your limiting belief starts to lose its power over you, you will become more confident too. This way, the reinforcing circle becomes a positive one, where your actions boost your confidence which in turn boost your results which boosts your confidence even more, etc.

Did I miss something?
What are some of your limiting beliefs?


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  • http://unlockthedoor.net Stuart

    Diggy, I LOVE the funky illustrations you’ve got going here ;-)

    Great read; if I may add a point about killing limiting beliefs, sometimes they come back even when we’ve logically proven them incorrect. Such is the emotional value of these beliefs, that even all the logic in the world isn’t enough to remove them.

    Very few limiting beliefs are like this, but professional help aside, all we can do is keep at it, and try and release them emotionally as well as logically :-)

  • Diggy

    Hey Stuart!

    Thanks buddy, I wanted to test my paint skills :D
    Yeah some limiting beliefs do tend to come back, that is why I stress the importance to keep deflecting them until it just becomes an automatic action.

    EFT and tapping help enormously with removing limiting beliefs, and with certain tapping techniques you can even replace the negative limiting belief with a positive one, for instance you could change “I can’t get girls” to “I’m an attractive man. Then every time that limiting beliefs pops up in your mind, it no longer has the negative impact but reinforces the positive one that you are an attractive man.

    Cheers!

  • http://www.TheMadtoLive.com Lauren Rains @ TheMadtoLive

    Hey Diggy!
    1st of all – I LOVE THE COMIC. very well done. Takes me back to the good ol’ Paint days haha.

    2nd of all – You make some great points here. It’s all about DEFINING and then KILLING those limiting beliefs.

    For me, I didn’t think I had what it takes in terms of finances, independence, self-confidence to pick up everything and move to China for a year. Well, I just got back 3 months ago from being there for a year. :)
    Sometimes you just need to look yourself square in the eye and say, “You can do it! Stop being a pu**y!” (Pardon my french).

    There is ALWAYS a reason not to do something – and its our limiting beliefs that let’s ourselves accept those reasons.

    Great post!
    LAUREN :)

  • Natalie

    A brilliant post! I first encountered how thoughts can affect our beliefs and action from reading Louise Hays You Can Heal Your Life book. It made alot of sense as I have eliminated some limiting beliefs but I still have more to eliminate and it does take a long time to heal old thought patterns and wounds but eventually with daily or weekly work on your mind set you can alter your attitude, thoughts, beliefs, actions and whole lifestyle.

    Thats a great idea to find sources of proof, to contradict your limiting belief. You could create some sort of journal or board of inspiration of people and facts who have achieved the things your limited beliefs say you can’t. Sort of like a mood board, like you would use in the law of attraction.

    Hope you have had a great christmas and new year. This article is a great kick up the bum for all those with the New Year Winter Blues!

  • Diggy

    Hey Lauren!
    Thanks for the kind words and cool comment!

    That comic actually took me like 2 hours to make. Haha, I have a new-found respect for cartoonists!
    Wow, so you just faced your fears and moved to China! Very brave of you! How did you do it financially? Online income or did you find a job while you were there?

    Have a fantastic week!

  • Diggy

    Hey Natalie!

    Thanks for the wishes! I hope you have a super 2011!
    Yeah when you get down or you think that you can’t do something, just find someone who has done it. Find multiple people who have done it. If they can do it, so can you.

    You could even see if you can get in touch with those people and ask them for advice or coaching. No better way to learn than with a mentor!
    Have a beautiful day!
    Cheers!

  • http://elevationlife.com/blog Bryan Thompson

    Diggy,

    Love the cartoon, man. You may need to quit your day job for that one. :)

    Seriously, what I find interesting is that while there is one person left out and everyone else seems “invited” or like a “cool person,” virtually EVERYONE I KNOW has experienced being let down. That means that there are millions and millions of people out there putting up fronts of “keeping it together,” when really they’re all feeling limited.

    We have to kill the limited beliefs, but realize they’re ingrained into our subconscious. Surround ourselves with what makes us feel on top of the world. Read books that make you feel great. Go to churches or lectures where you feel better when you leave. Play to your strengths and stay away from what makes you feel inferior.

    Thanks buddy! Good post today!

  • Diggy

    Hey Bryan!

    Thanks man, it’s my hidden talent :D

    What you say is so true. It always seems like we are the only one who experiences fear, anxiety, jealousy, sadness, misfortune etc but there are literally hundreds of millions of people who experience the same or who have experienced the same at some point in their lives.

    I know that many people will not go the extra mile and put in the effort to learn NLP and EFT, but those two methods are incredible tools to remove limiting beliefs that are so deeply ingrained in our thoughts.

    I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of NLP anchors where you associate feelings or states of mind to an action (squeeze of the wrist) or sound (whistle or song). You can for example create an anchor of extreme confidence so that any time you squeeze your wrist you immediately feel confident.

    Thanks for stopping by buddy!

  • http://elevationlife.com Bryan

    Diggy,

    I began studying NLP in 2005 and it changed my life. I started as many here in the states do, with Tony Robbins. :) I read “Unlimited Power” and it changed my whole mindset.

    I have adopted the anchors to build confidence and had amazing results. The one I like to help people do is to cure headaches at will.

    How did you discover NLP?

  • http://www.ryanrenfrew.com Ryan Renfrew @LifestyleDesign

    Diggy,

    What a timely article, spooky actually. I a post I published this week I talked about I had identified a limiting belief and was asking how to eliminate it. Then an update comes into my infox, titled “kill your limiting beliefs” just brilliant.

    From reading your article, I guess where I have gone wrong in the past is that, I didnt repeat and reinforce that new unlimited belief for long enough.

    Thanks for your wise words, much appreciated.

    bLAZE yOUR tRAIL

  • Diggy

    Hey Ryan!
    Haha, coincidence of the LOA?
    Glad that you liked the article! Keep up the great work on your blog!
    Cheers!

  • Diggy

    Cool to hear! I discovered it somewhere in my journey of getting better with girls but never really got into it until recently when I discovered its true power.

    It always seemed so complicated to me but it’s actually pretty easy to learn, especially if you have a few cool videos to watch where someone demonstrates step by step how to do it.

  • http://www.deliverfreedom.com Katie Brandt

    Love, love, love the drawing Diggy – Hopefully we will see more!

    I try to say and write affirmations to kill my limiting beliefs. Fake it till you make it right.

    LOVED your advice on finding people that have broken through your belief – those are always the most inspiring stories.

  • Diggy

    Hey Katie!

    Thank you for the kind words! Haha, I’m so happy that my cartoon is such a success! Nothing better than a ms paint drawing to make you laugh right:P

    I’m not so sure about the fake it till you make it mentality. Some people say it works for them and others say it’s like lying to yourself. Personally I like positive thinking and using successful people as an example to motivate me to keep going when times get tough and I feel the urge to quit.

    Cheers!

  • http://www.optimisticwellness.com Josh Lipovetsky

    Mad skills on the MS Paint, Diggy. I would never be able to draw something half as good, no matter how much time I spent. That’s why I’m not learning about how to be a better painter, haha. :)

    I felt connected to the drawing, too. When I grew up, I was bullied a lot, and I felt so left out. I feel like I have come such a long way in overcoming limiting beliefs. I still have a few left, but they’re going down!

    I feel like NLP is a huge help. I’m going through Carl Harvey’s NLP techniques (SAS) right now, and they are very powerful. I love the quote, that goes like:: “You will never see in the real world, something that you cannot see in your head first”. Amazing.

    Thanks!
    Josh Lipovetsky.

  • Margaret

    Hi Diggy!
    You seem so positively different from all those self improvement guys who don’t miss a chance to make money on what they preach.Only yesterday I discovered something fascinating online:info about Grameen Bank and microcredits for developing countries to help people live like humans and not slaves to middlemen.We can all help!I’ve made a point of telling whoever I can about http://www.oikocredit.org .It’s shares in a humane bank that helps people so it’s not charity and you even make small profit.Let’s make our lives remarkable.
    Take good care:)
    Margaret

  • Diggy

    Hi Margaret!

    Thanks for the kind words! My intention is indeed to help people and teach people how to improve their lives and overcome their fears. Of course I also sell my own ebooks and things, but the main focus is helping people, making money comes second:)

    I’ve heard a lot about those microfinance sites to help the poor, it’s a very cool idea and very easy way for us to make a difference to the lives of others in a big way!
    Thanks for stopping by!
    Have a beautiful day:)

  • http://www.getting-unstuck.com/ Riley Harrison

    Hi Diggy
    I think there is no topic more important! You can never outperform your self image. Limiting beliefs are crippling.I think you described the process perfectly. I teach, preach, chant, rave and write (3 books but new to the blogging world) about how to realize your potential. For me the theory is easy, it’s the implementation that’s hard. As an example dieting is easy just eat less calories and exercise, but the reality of permanently losing weight is much harder. So what strategies can be used to kill limiting beliefs. A good one is developing the awareness as to which of your relationships are toxic (bad for you) and which are nutritional (good for you) and having the courage to act on that knowledge. Why would you ever want to hang around someone that says repeatedly “life sucks” vs. someone who says “isn’t it great to be alive”. Wish you the best.

    Riley
    P.S – love you hand drawn illustrations – that’s original

  • Diggy

    Hey Riley!
    Thanks for the nice comment!

    Yes easier said than done, that’s always the case.
    Personally I swear by EFT and NLP to permanently change and remove limiting beliefs. A limiting belief has so much power because you’ve repeated it to yourself so many times. You can undo that repetition and take away the limiting belief’s power by reprogramming your mind and overwriting the limiting belief. That is literally what EFT and NLP do.

    If you’d ever like to chat about it, send me an email or even let me know your SKype.
    CHeers
    Diggy

  • http://www.jonalford.com Jon

    Oooh man, limiting beliefs. For many of us it’s a lifelong battle in one facet of life or another. But that’s the thrill of the journey I suppose, continual self-improvement.

    I agree with you saying it’ll take repetition proving them wrong for this to stick. Also, I’ll add that if you’re ever in a funk you can take a moment to reflect back on a time you conquered the LB.

  • http://thatgirlisfunny.com/2011/01/how-to-stay-young-from-the-inside-out-win-everytime-you-play-rock-paper-scissors/ How To Stay Young From The Inside Out – Win Everytime You Play Rock Paper Scissors | thatgirlisfunny.com

    [...] Kill Your Limiting Beliefs posted at Self Improvement, saying, “Limiting beliefs are the culprits that hold you back from success, happiness and from your true potential. They are those sneaky thoughts that show up every time you feel inspired or motivated to go after your dreams, and they remind you of the fact that you are not good enough. They’re like the barb-wire fence and solid steel bars that are keeping you in your prison cell. Not only are your limiting beliefs insanely strong (deeply rooted in your mind), they also know some serious jujitsu because they’ll just evade your attempts to overpower them by brute force.” [...]

  • http://www.upgradereality.com Diggy

    You have to push yourself :)

    Happy to hear you enjoyed the article, I hope it helps you overcome your limiting beliefs!

  • http://www.upgradereality.com Diggy

    Wow, that’s amazing:) I’m very happy that my articles helped you!

    Feel free to email me whenever at diggy@upgradereality.com