Breaking Limiting Beliefs 1
(Monday)
Context:
Employers value employees who are both confident and capable.
Many people make decisions or take action based on past experiences. This can seem harmless, but sometimes experiences from earlier in life are no longer accurate or helpful and can prevent us from moving forward.
Over time, we may begin to believe that a single negative experience defines who we are. When these past experiences stop us from learning, growing, or progressing, they are called limiting beliefs.
What it is: Limiting beliefs are deeply held thoughts or feelings that hold us back. They can prevent us from taking action or cause us to see ourselves and our abilities in a negative way.
Why it’s important: Experiences we have as children can shape how we see ourselves and our abilities. But we are not children anymore.
Some people don’t realize that the limits they felt earlier in life no longer apply to them. They carry these limiting beliefs into school, work, and adult life, where they can hold them back and affect performance and confidence.
By recognizing limiting beliefs we have now, we can begin to let them go. This helps us move forward with stronger self-esteem, greater confidence, and a clearer belief in our ability to grow and succeed.
Primer Questions
Do you have any limiting beliefs—things you feel you just aren’t capable of?
Can you think of an experience that made you feel negative about yourself? What happened in that situation?
Do you feel that past difficult or painful experiences still affect your confidence or self-esteem today?
Write down your answers and observations in your journal.
“
If you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you.
”
―Louise Hay
How they develop.
If there’s a subject you don’t enjoy, it may be because it feels difficult right now. Do you think it will always be difficult?
Can you think of subjects or skills that were hard for you when you were younger but are easier for you today?
Watch the video, then answer the questions below or discuss them with others.
Questions for reflection
What is your favorite subject in school? What is your least favorite subject? Why?
How do you feel when a subject is difficult for you? What emotions do you notice most?
If a subject feels difficult right now, do you think it will always be difficult for you? Why or why not?
Write down your answers and observations in your journal, or discuss them with others.
“Do the uncomfortable. Become comfortable with these acts. Prove to yourself that your limiting beliefs die a quick death if you will simply do what you feel uncomfortable doing.” -Darren Rowse
What causes limiting beliefs? They often come from past experiences, especially during childhood, along with other influences. Limiting beliefs tend to form around negative memories because the brain tries to protect us from feeling pain again in the future.
Simply put, limiting beliefs develop because we want to avoid uncomfortable emotions like frustration, shame, guilt, sadness, loneliness, or anger. While this response is meant to protect us, it can also hold us back from learning, growing, and trying new things.
REMEMBER: You are growing mentally as much as you are physically.
Just as you had physical limitations when you were a child that you no longer have now, the same is true for you mentally. Things change. You change. What you are capable of will change.
Visualize and reason.
One common trait of highly successful people is that they don’t let past failures stop them from trying again. They understand that failure and improvement are both part of learning and growth.
Take a look at the images below. Progress doesn’t happen without mistakes, and improvement comes from practice over time. Together, these experiences can help you achieve more than you might expect. Do you agree?
This baby can't even hold herself up. Does this mean she never will?
This baby can't even crawl. Does it mean she never will?
This toddler can't walk on his own. Does it mean he never will?
This child can't run very fast. But can he get faster?
These children are fast. But could they compete in the Olympics at this age?
At one point in their lives, these competitors couldn't even walk.
What would have happened if the child in any of the photos above had quit trying to walk or run after falling or not being fast enough?
What would you say to that child or person if they wanted to give up at that moment in their life?
Now think about yourself—what do you say to yourself when something feels difficult or when you want to quit because you haven’t reached your goal yet?
Don’t quit. Don’t stop. Just keep growing.
Thought of the day.
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in, and day-out.”
Robert Collier
Metacognitive Goals
From now until Wednesday, notice how you feel about different subjects at school. If you think that one or more subjects are difficult for you, try to determine if you think that you will improve in the subject, or if that subject will always be difficult for you.
Try to notice if there are any other areas of life that are difficult for you or cause you frustration. Do you feel you will always struggle in these areas? Make sure you write your findings in your journal.