Article contributed by Petia Kolibova
What if you had a superpower that allowed you to predict and identify any negative or limiting belief, person, circumstance, or experience in your life so that you could choose to live differently?
You could choose to live life empowered, inspired, and on purpose, living every moment as your highest self.
Imagine what life would be like and what would be possible…
Well, this fantasy isn’t too far from reality! Once you develop your process of identifying and removing limiting beliefs, you’ll be well on your way.
Let’s dive in!
Over many years of being a life and business coach for women, I have seen a core set of limiting beliefs come up again and again with my clients and people in my audience.
They are…
- “I’m not worthy.”
- “I’m afraid of failing.”
- “I am afraid of being judged by others.”
- “I’m too much or not enough.”
- Examples: Young/old, poor/rich, inexperienced/overqualified, skinny/fat, ugly/pretty, etc.
- “I don’t want to upset others by changing.”
- “I’m afraid if I grow I’ll outgrow my friends and loved ones.”
- Scarcity beliefs, such as “money is the root of all evil”, “rich people don’t go to heaven”, and “eat all your food, there are people in other countries who are starving.”
Limiting beliefs boil down to anything that may hold you back from achieving your dreams.
They come in the form of excuses, justifications, and “facts.” Limiting beliefs almost always reinforce why you’re not able to do something or why you have to do something other than what your purpose or true desire is.
Now that you know what these beliefs can sound like, let’s dive into how these negative beliefs get installed into our minds.
Where do limiting beliefs come from?
Limiting beliefs can come from a variety of different sources, yet the most deeply embedded ones are often internalized between the ages of 0 to 7 years old.
Why?
In the early years of life, children have a brain and mind that is extremely malleable and easily influenced.
Ask yourself, “What happens to a garden pot full of fresh soil with good sunlight and water?”
Well, if you plant corn seeds in it, guess what it will produce? Corn!
Yet, just as easily, if you plant seeds of nightshade, a deadly poison, what will grow there? Poison!
Today, your mind is fertile for planting just like that soil. But, even more so, when you’re young between the ages of 0 and 7. Our minds are ready to reproduce whatever kind of seeds that are planted within them.
One’s deepest limiting beliefs that stop them from experiencing more success, abundance, fulfillment, and peace in life were likely formed in their younger years.
The sources of these limiting beliefs might be:
- Parents (or other influential adults)
- Media (i.e movies, music, etc.)
- The education system
- Interactions with other children
Limiting beliefs can also be caused by a passing comment that gets internalized or a very extreme and intense event, pain or memory that causes your nervous system to get triggered. This is especially common if there’s not a healthy dialogue and resolution to the experience. In these situations, the mind will internalize the belief as “data” that it can draw from later on.
In this essence it’s a survival mechanism, storing and keeping information that could save you from potential danger in the future. Your brain really just wants to protect you, but sometimes good intentions that are misguided can do more harm than good.
3 techniques for OVERCOMING limiting beliefs:
- Breathwork.
This practice somatically creates healing and releases feelings of trauma that are oftentimes at the core of limiting beliefs and diseases. When new breath is stored, stuck energy in our nervous system is purged. It’s astonishing how much someone’s life, mindset and results can be changed.
When I practice breathwork with my clients, we often combine positive affirmations and declarations, and set specific intentions to work through their limiting beliefs or traumas.
- Empowering declarations and affirmative statements.
Anytime we say the words “I am…”, whatever comes after those words become true.
If one’s words are not an empowering declaration or statement, then it’s going to be programming oneself for negative thoughts, beliefs, and patterns of behavior. This powerful tool becomes SUPER effective when one uncovers the root belief.
So how do you uncover the root belief? Thankfully It’s quite simple!
- Journaling!
Journaling is a powerful strategy for uncovering root beliefs. Start by grabbing a piece of paper and drawing a “T” line down the middle of your page.
On the left half of the page, make a list of as many negative beliefs, excuses, reasons that are keeping you stuck, especially all the “too much/not enough” thoughts.
Once you have a good-sized list (at least 20-30), go through the list line by line, one at a time, crossing out the “negative” limiting belief and on the right side of the page, rewriting the “positive” and empowering thought or belief right next to it.
Examples would look like:
-
“I’m not smart enough”>> “Every day I’m learning more and making progress.” -
“I don’t have a big enough audience”>> “I am attracting an audience who loves to buy from me!” -
“I can’t do it”>> “I can get better at anything I choose to do, even if it means taking baby steps.”
There’s so much deeper that we could go, but for the purpose of this article, just choose ONE of those techniques I mentioned above and apply it to your life…WITHIN THE NEXT 48 HOURS!
Research shows, if someone learns a new piece of information and goes more than 48 hours without applying it or studying it again, the likelihood that they’ll ever use it is virtually 0%.
Don’t be like everyone else.
Choose a strategy, put it in your calendar, and get it done!
About the Author:
Petia Kolibova is an alignment women’s coach who guides women to intuitively connect with their inner vision so they can experience personal and professional magnetism and become unapologetically abundant. Her mission is to empower visionaries who are on the path to embodying their fullest self-expression to soulfully expand into a quantum leap in all aspects of their lives.
Connect with Petia at:
Website: https://petiakolibova.com/
Instagram: @PetiaKolibova
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