Limiting beliefs are those that block people from achieving their goals. They don’t have to be real, but they make it difficult to achieve what you really want.
Limiting beliefs create blocks in people when it comes to carrying out their dreams. They are negative ideas, which do not have to be true, but the person himself considers them as such, and acts accordingly.
The problem with limiting beliefs is that they limit an individual’s life, prevent him from growing as a person, and achieving those things that excite him. For this reason, it is also important to change limiting beliefs for empowering beliefs.
They can affect different aspects of an individual’s life: work, personal, social …
Limiting beliefs can arise in childhood, and continue into adulthood.
They can appear at a certain time through some type of experience, or unfortunate comment that has managed to make that person believe that they are not qualified to achieve something in particular.
Types of limiting beliefs
How to identify limiting beliefs? Although it is not easy there are different types. Here are the main types of limiting beliefs and some simple examples.
- Possibility: They are limiting beliefs that are related to what it is possible for people to achieve, but that one shields himself in the impossibility of achieving it. For example, they have undertaken, but it is impossible for me in these times.
- Capacity: Here the ability of others to achieve something is valued, but when referring to oneself, that same option is denied. For example, people manage to save every month, it is totally impossible for me to do so.
- Deserving: These types of limiting beliefs are very common in general, and it is that you are boycotting yourself in order not to get something. Not considering yourself worthy of something, having the idea that if you don’t suffer to get it, or you sacrifice yourself, you don’t deserve it, is a limiting thought. For example, I do not deserve to buy that car, I have not saved, I have been lucky that I won the lottery by chance.
Examples of limiting beliefs
There are beliefs that can come from an experience that was identified as something negative and was extrapolated to other types of facets. Therefore, they are negative beliefs.
The brain considers these types of negative or limiting beliefs valid because if we believe that we cannot do something, that already predisposes us not to achieve it. Here are some additional examples:
- I will not find a job with so many applications already registered.
- It is impossible to find work today. Besides, if I found it, they would pay me very little.
- I do not consider myself valid for that job. I’m going to look for something lower than my degree.
- I don’t deserve that job recognition. Anyone would be able to do this job.
- I’m never going to find a partner. So I’d rather not even try.
- At school I was left blank when I went out to exhibit my work. I’m not good for public speaking.
- They always told me I was a clumsy one. I’m really worthless.