Are you satisfied with where you are, or is something missing? Maybe you have unfulfilled dreams and have yet to take the first step. What are the obstacles that hold you back from your best life?
Unfortunately, the power of believing has long been relegated to the world of fantasy. Remember in the classic movie version of Peter Pan when Tinker Bell disappeared because children no longer believed in magic? It was a representation of adult cynicism.
The actors told the young viewers to believe with their hearts and clap to bring back the beloved fairy. Of course, they did, and she reappeared. While you understand this is a children’s fantasy story, it still represents an essential principle.
Your belief system is a powerful driving force in your life. Even if you say that you believe in nothing, you’ve just affirmed a belief. It represents your perception, whether it’s based on reality or not.
How Do We Form Our Beliefs?
Your system of beliefs began at an early age. As a baby, you recognized that your parents fed and comforted you when you cried. According to an article published by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, stimuli reside in the brain as memories and perceptions that form beliefs.
Your brain collects more memories and experiences throughout your childhood that form your entire belief system. Your parents and other adult role models ingrained their beliefs and morals in you. As a teen and young adult, you probably challenged many of these beliefs until you solidified your own system.
Pros and Cons of Believing in Positive Outcomes
Much of your belief system has served you well from youth to adulthood. These are positive ones, like you have unlimited potential or your Higher Power loves and cares for you. Positive results come from believing that something positive is going to happen.
However, negative beliefs can keep you from a fulfilling life. If your parents or other role models were verbally abusive, they might have filled your mind with cruel negativity. As an adult, you may now believe you’re worthless and will never do anything of value.
Ten Self-Limiting Beliefs That Might Hold You Back
Do you lie awake at night and wonder what’s wrong with your life? It can come from financial woes, personal relationships, family, work, or health. What can you do now to change your circumstances in the future?
Maybe one of the first things to consider is your belief system. Are they serving you well or causing more harm than good? Here are ten beliefs that could hold you back from an abundant life.
1. The Fear You Can’t Achieve Something May Hold You Back
At some point in your childhood, you tried something and failed. Maybe you fell while learning to roller skate and never tried again. Somewhere in your mind, you formed a defeating belief that trickled down into your adulthood.
Henry Ford and several others have been credited with a famous quote about believing in yourself. It says that whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re correct. In other words, your beliefs in your ability form a self-fulfilling prophecy.
2. You’re Not Ready Yet
It’s always wise to research so you can make informed decisions. Good preparation is essential for any task. Yes, timing is also crucial, and sometimes you must be patient before doing something.
However, there’s a difference between proper timing and procrastination. It can be a harmful belief that holds you back from accomplishments. Some of your dreams require you to say it’s now or never.
3. You Will Fail, if You Try
This toxic belief cannot only hold you back but also stagnate your life. There would be no discoveries or inventions if nobody stepped out on faith. Humans would still be working with sticks and stones.
Past failures don’t mean you’ll never succeed. It just indicates that you’re in a process. Don’t allow the fear of failure to stand between you and your heart’s desires.
4. The Thought That It’s Too Late for You Can Hold You Back
Age is another excuse that can hold you back from your aspirations. You’re reluctant to try anything new because you think you’re too old. Or you believe that you’ve done something for so long it’s too late to make a positive change.
Let’s say you think it’s too late for you to earn a college degree because it’ll take four years. You will be the same age in four years whether or not you return to school, so you might as well do something productive. It’s never too late to step out and do what you’ve always wanted.
5. It All Must be Perfect
One of the most extraordinary human delusions is the false notion of perfection. Unfortunately, perfectionism doesn’t exist in this mortal plane, and humans can’t obtain it. Yet, countless people are so bound by perfectionism that they can’t and won’t accomplish anything.
Perfectionism comes from internal pressures to be “perfect,” or you will fail and be judged. While it’s commendable to take pride in your work and do your best, there’s no such thing as perfection.
This delusional attitude can become toxic and affect all aspects of your life. You work so hard to be perfect that you isolate yourself. You may also avoid doing new things because you may make mistakes.
6. You’re Not Good Enough
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a loving and beautiful person or someone “less than?” The modern American media has done much to destroy people’s self-esteem and self-worth. Maybe you like countless others and compare yourself to Hollywood personas that aren’t based on reality.
It may have started in grade school when someone teased or taunted you. Unfair societal standards reinforced it in high school and later in adulthood. You formed beliefs that said you’re not pretty, intelligent, wealthy, skinny, etc.
This degrading belief can hold you back from reaching your potential. It lies to you by saying you’re not enough. What could you accomplish by realizing you’re not only enough but “more than enough?”
7. Nothing Can be Changed
Of course, you cannot change many things in the world. You have to accept them and go forward. On the other hand, there are things that you can change in your life if you are determined.
What beliefs hold you back because you say nothing can be changed? Is it true, or are you hiding behind a false premise because you’re afraid to take the first step? Even if you encounter things you cannot change, you still have the power to change your perceptions and attitudes.
8. The Fear That Everybody Will Judge You Could Hold You Back
It’s a sobering fact of life that you’ll always have naysayers. Someone will say something negative no matter how hard you try or what a great job you do. Even ascended masters, such as Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad, had their critics while on earth.
The fear of being judged harshly can hold you back from your dreams. Realize that their opinions don’t matter, and your happiness does. You needn’t let negative people deprive you of joy.
9. You Don’t Have Enough Resources
You’re smart enough to know that you can’t write a check for a million dollars with only ten bucks in the bank. However, limited resources aren’t a reason to give up on your life-long pursuits. Anything worth having is worth working for and making the resources.
Dream boards are ideal for mapping your dreams and what you need to accomplish them. Remember that not all your goals are financially driven. What can you do today to add to your resources?
10. It Will Hold You Back If You Believe That Success is Only For Certain People
Here’s a harmful assumption that’s self-defeating for many worthy people. Maybe you believe that success and joy are only for certain people. It assumes that the divine plays favorites, and you are predestined never to have anything.
The good news is that the Universe isn’t partial and has your best interests at heart. While there are a few instances of luck in life, people can’t always hang their success on fortune alone. Some people may have an early advantage, but everyone has an equal chance of living their dreams.
This belief stems from the false notion that you’re less than others and everybody else is better. Consider real-life examples like Oprah Winfrey, who worked her way up from poverty to becoming one of the wealthiest media titans in the world.
Final Thoughts on How Your Self-Limiting Beliefs Can Hold You Back
Your belief system may be the only thing between you and a fulfilling life. Take an honest inventory of your beliefs; you may be surprised that some are pretty toxic. Replacing toxic thoughts with positive ones can make you feel better and help you reach your highest aspirations.
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