Even the MOST successful people in the world, have self-limiting beliefs. These beliefs hold billions of average people back, every single day, from ever becoming successful.
If you don’t get them under control, they could be affecting you right now. You might not even know it yet… …but don’t think you’re immune to this one.
Every single one of us has self-limiting beliefs.
Keep them in check, and they’re there to remind you how far you’ve come. But when self-limiting beliefs continue to go unchecked, they can hold a massive negative power over your entire life. Self-limiting beliefs can hold you back for a lifetime if you let them.
I have my fair share of them, too. The only difference is, I don’t allow them control me.
The problem is, they’re taught to us from a VERY early age. Often by the very people that care about us. Self-limiting beliefs are everywhere, being repeated by almost everyone around you.
Let me tell you about how I got most of my self-limiting beliefs.
See if you can relate to any of them.
How I got my Self-Limiting Beliefs
I grew up in an extremely poor, challenging environment, constantly surrounded by self-limiting beliefs. Wall-to-wall, stereo sound, in both ears at the same time, everywhere I turned.
They were taught to me by my parents, friends, teachers, relatives, and many other people.
Like any other normal kid, I believed what I was told. Why wouldn’t I? The people that surrounded me were my peers and mentors (or so I thought).
I also believed what I saw happening in my life, as I witnessed it through that self-limiting framework.
Growing up, I HATED a LOT of people. Especially rich people. I had nothing but anger for them. They had SO MUCH more than I ever did, and it was all just given to them. It wasn’t fair. They were just born into the right family, and I was born into the wrong one.
The island I grew up on was a tax-haven, and rammed full of extremely wealthy people. There were only two types of people. Broke people like us, and multi-millionaires. And there were very few in-between.
To Me, Life Wasn’t Fair
Life wasn’t fair, they were born with more than we were.
My life was just going to suck forever. People like me weren’t destined to have anything. We were born into the wrong families. The poor, the working class.
We were destined for only ONE thing. A sad existence of lifelong hard-work, and barely ever making ends meet.
As the ‘have-nots’, there was no way out for us.
We were done for.
What a train-wreck of an existence, right?
I Found a Way Out… …You Can, Too
Miraculously, I somehow found my way out. At 20 years old, I became a pro skater. I’m not a religious person, but to me this was nothing but a miracle.
To this day, I know if I hadn’t found a way to be successful myself, I’d STILL think and feel the same way I did as a kid. Just like so many of my old friends, that are still stuck there right now.
When you have these self-limiting beliefs, they affect your whole life in an unbelievably bad way.
I found a way out. It was a miracle to me that I ever made it.
The odds were stacked against me. But, if it’s possible for me, it’s possible for ANYONE… …yes, even you.
The Negative Effects of Self-Limiting Beliefs
The problem is not-so-much having these thoughts. We ALL get them. The problem is believing them.
Self-limiting beliefs change the way you view every situation in life. You see things differently to the way they really are, and NEVER in a good way.
Unchecked self-limiting beliefs have a negative hold on your life. They influence your decisions.
You’ll make decisions that negatively affect your life, thinking you’re doing the right thing. Your personality, jokes, sense of humor, and views are based around them. Self-limiting beliefs keep you down in the same place. You predict your own negative version of the future, only ever seeing bad results. And you’ll be right, almost every time.
This then gives you more confidence in predicting your outcomes. You continue to live your life under these messed up rules, because you think you’re doing the right thing. In reality the only thing you’re ‘protecting yourself’ from, is being successful.
Self-limiting beliefs work against you, even when things are going well for you.
Self-Limiting Predictions
When you live with this type of negative mindset, you EXPECT things to go wrong again. Then, when things DO go wrong, you’ll say you saw it coming. You feel smart about that, because you successfully predicted the outcome.
Good things don’t last, not for people like you, right?
Eventually you get so good at predicting bad things happening, self-limiting beliefs take over your mind completely. You believe in the self-limiting beliefs so much, everything in your life starts to back up those beliefs.
You expected to fail, you ‘knew it would happen‘, and so you do.
Self-limiting beliefs take hold of you.
Then, it’s officially over.
That’s When People Give Up
That’s usually where people give up. The self-limiting beliefs become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they quit on their own lives.
They see no good in their future. Then, they don’t try to get anything positive in their future.
So, nothing positive ever happens.
The vicious cycle is complete, and the negative self-limiting belief system has taken hold, for life.
But, That’s not YOUR Future
You might not see that as your future. I don’t. I’m hoping, you’re ready to change that future.
Giving up on life was not my plan for you.
If you’re on this site with me, and you made it this far, you’re probably seeing a few things that make sense to you. If so, I’m VERY glad you’re here.
Let’s take a closer look at these self-limiting beliefs right now, before they get any worse.
What are Self-Limiting Beliefs?
Simply put, self-limiting beliefs are negative thought frameworks that limit your potential outcome in life.
They give you a negative prediction of the outcome for almost any situation. Before things even happen, you already believe the outcome will be bad.
These beliefs were mostly taught to you by others, directly, and indirectly. Just as mine were.
Parents, teachers, coworkers, friends. Pretty much anyone you’ve ever met or had a conversation with, has been loading your mind with these types of self-limiting beliefs.
None of these people thought they were doing any harm.
Of course not… …they believe these things themselves.
You’ve Added More to Your Collection
You’ve also added a few of your own self-limiting beliefs, too, based on your own personal experiences. They back up what you were taught or shown by other people, and merged with your own ideas. Your home-grown belief system became infected from the inside.
It’s easy to do, because self-limiting beliefs let you off the hook.
They make it easier for you. These beliefs give you an excuse as to why something didn’t or won’t go your way. You tell yourself it was the only way it could’ve gone, after all. This provides you reasons and explanations as to why you failed at something.
The odds were stacked against you.
You’re destined to be average.
You never stood a chance.
Self-limiting beliefs make it easier to give up, and not keep trying.
When Self-Limiting Beliefs Come True
These beliefs aren’t true, but you believe they are.
Self-limiting beliefs only become true by your own actions and decisions. You predict your negative outcome, make decisions that follow that framework, and the prediction comes true.
Self-limiting beliefs destroy your dreams, one at a time.
They’re NEVER the real reason things go wrong. Because they’re never true.
Ever.
These beliefs negatively motivate you.
They’re holding you back, and preventing you from believing the TRUTH.
The Real Truth
The truth is always HARDER to believe than the lies you’ve told yourself. Especially when your experience is based on your own negative opinions of your life so far.
The real TRUTH is, you CAN have whatever you want. Your dreams CAN be yours. I’d argue that they already are yours, you just need to make them happen. It just takes a shit-ton of hard work to get there. More work than almost anyone else is willing to do, which is exactly why they don’t.
It will be A LOT HARDER than you ever imagine it will be. But that shouldn’t be a reason for you to stop trying to get them.
The truth is if you can beat these self-limiting beliefs, doubts, and negativity no matter what…
…YOU CAN WIN!
Everyone Has Self-Limiting Beliefs
Self-limiting beliefs really do SUCK. And, yes, they can ruin your life. I guarantee it, 100%
But, before you worry too much about them, and how they affect you, I’m letting you off the hook right now.
Why? Because we all have self-limiting beliefs. Yes… …everyone. EVERYONE, including me.
I know a huge amount about self-limiting beliefs, the thoughts behind them, and how they affect you.
But I still get them.
Regularly.
Strategies & Mindset Hacks
The difference is I have several different strategies, mindset hacks, and frameworks I use to defeat them.
And even though I’ve been working on it all for MANY years now, I still have a lot of constant work to do, to keep them at bay. The difference is, after years of working through them, I’m very aware of them. And usually see them for exactly what they are.
When I get these thoughts, I don’t accept them as the truth, because they’re not. I know that we all would love to believe we don’t have limits. That we’re capable of absolutely ANYTHING.
The truth is, if everyone believed that 100% already… …everyone in the world would be a millionaire, and wouldn’t need me, or my advice.
So, let’s look at what these self-limiting thoughts look, and feel like.
Examples of Self-Limiting Beliefs
Here’s a few examples of self-limiting beliefs.
See if you believe in, or recognize any of these, yourself.
- There’s only SO much money you can make
- People like you can’t do it
- Where you come from matters to your success
- There’s only SO much YOU are capable of
- You were born poor, so you’ll die poor
- Your parents and your family background matter to your success
- You’re not well educated enough to achieve anything
- Someone else must lose for you to win
- If you lose, other people win (such as your enemies)
- Your future success has something to do with your past
- Your need other people to succeed
- You don’t know the right people
- There’s not enough time
- Your life is harder because _______
- You need at least __ hours a day / week to relax
- Something prevents you, or holds you back you from success
- You don’t know the right way to do it
- Only famous people get massive amounts of followers on social media
- Your parents screwed you up as a kid
These are just a few quick ones that popped into my head as I was typing this article. But there are billions of self-limiting beliefs out there.
Many people even combine a few together into one big giant set of self-limiting beliefs.
It becomes a lifestyle.
A negative narrative to life by.
A ‘woah-is-me’ hashtag collection.
You have your self-limiting beliefs, there’s no question about it.
I want you to write them ALL down for me, right now.
Write Down Your Own Self-Limiting Beliefs
If any of these self-limiting beliefs stand out to you, I want you to take a note of them.
Write them down, or make a note on your phone, right now. Add a few more to your list if you can think of any. The more you can think of, the better this exercise will work for you.
Don’t be scared, nobody is going to see them. If they did, they wouldn’t understand why you’ve written them down anyway. They’d probably just read them and agree with you.
That’s their problem, though.
They’re not awesome like you… …nor are they choosing to do something about their own self-limiting beliefs.
I have my list.
I’m not ashamed of them.
And I don’t want to forget them, either.
The difference is, I refuse to believe them, or give them any credit, even for a moment.
I’m going to teach you how to do the same thing, right now.
Recognize and Observe Your Self-Limiting Beliefs
The more you learn about self-limiting beliefs, the more you start to recognize them. You also begin to notice other people saying, or using them, too. It almost becomes fun, spotting them in play.
Write all your self-limiting beliefs down, then read them. See if you can think of any more as you read through the list.
Listen to your thoughts each day. you’ll probably start to notice new ones popping up here and there.
Once you’re done with your list, it’s time to give yourself a break.
Take a Break Right Now
The first thing you need to understand deeply, is that EVERYONE has these types of beliefs.
Yes, EVERYONE.
Yes, even THAT guy.
He has them, too.
As with many of the things I write about, the first thing you do about that, is accept it.
Completely forgive yourself for doing it, right now.
You’re completely, 100%, off the hook.
You weren’t doing anything wrong, or different, than anyone else in the world. So, forgive yourself completely.
It feels good, doesn’t it?
Breath, and allow yourself to see these things for what they are.
They’re just thoughts, nothing more.
Like any other thoughts that pass through your head, they’re not all genius, Nobel Prize or Academy Award winners.
As often as you’ve been wrong before (if you’re anything like me), there’s no point in being mad about this one, either.
The good news is, no matter what your self-limiting beliefs are, they ALL have one thing in common.
They’re just not true.
None of These Self-Limiting Beliefs are True
All the things in your list are completely, 100% false.
These self-limiting beliefs are not only untrue, but they’re one of the main things holding you back from achieving anything you want in life.
Self-limiting beliefs are the mental equivalent of putting yourself down in public. And you should NEVER put yourself down, ever. There’s a world full of people out there, only too willing to do that for you. So, you don’t need to give them a hand, okay?
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what your self-limiting beliefs are doing.
Now, I know you wouldn’t put yourself down deliberately. But, by believing these things, you’re standing right in your own way.
It’s almost as if you stand right in front of yourself, putting your hand on your OWN head, saying “No, you can’t do that.”
You Became Your Own Bully
Somehow you became your own bully. Holding yourself back while you reach desperately for something you really want. You even tell yourself you can’t get it.
The problem is not the bully itself, but the fact that you believe the bully
Otherwise, the self-limiting beliefs wouldn’t have any control over you.
My point?
Nobody is immune to believing in these limitations. Absolutely nobody. Not you, not me, or anyone else.
Everybody has them. Even the wealthiest people in the world have limitations and doubts about themselves.
I’ll say it again… …EVERYONE HAS THEM.
Everyone.
What to Do About Self-Limiting Beliefs
You now know what these self-limiting beliefs are. You’ve written a few of them down, and forgive yourself for being a normal human being, just like everyone else.
Now what? Great question, because now we’re getting to the good stuff!
The part where you learn to conquer and overcome your own self-limiting beliefs. We’re going to work on building the tool-kit you need to kick ass.
Let’s start by learning the massive difference between facts and beliefs.
Knowing that difference, should help you a lot.
What are Facts?
Facts are 100% undeniable. They can be proven with information, tried out, and shown to be correct, repeatedly, without fail.
You can choose to believe a fact, or not. But even if you don’t, it’s still true.
Facts are black and white.
100% true.
100% of the time.
What are Beliefs?
Beliefs are not facts at all. A belief is an opinion. You don’t need facts to believe, or not believe, anything.
Political views, religions, tastes in music, are all great examples of beliefs.
In politics, two people can see the same facts, yet have a completely different opinion about them
Beliefs CAN be truthful, and often are. But beliefs someone’s opinion of the facts, never the facts themselves.
For example, you might hear about something that happened recently. You believe it’s going to be a bad thing for everybody. You have no way of proving that, it’s just a feeling. Something you believe. You could be 100% wrong, and still feel that way about it.
The choices you make that affect your future, are always based on your beliefs. Or more importantly, your opinion of what the future might hold.
The only problem is… …you can’t predict the future.
You Can’t Predict Your Future
Nobody can predict the future. You’d be stupid to try. You don’t know what your future holds. We can only guess.
If you’re not sure if you can predict the future or not, try this:
- Flip a coin 30 times, trying to guess the result each time.
- Record how often you’re right.
- Repeat this experiment as many times as you need to, to prove you can’t predict the future.
Even if you believe you always lose, you could bet against yourself winning. The problem is, eventually you’d be wrong, and win.
You’d be happy you won, but you’d lose the bet against yourself.
See how self-limiting beliefs work?
THEY’RE STUPID!
Your Beliefs Shape Your Character
Beliefs shape our character, who we are, and how we approach things in life.
If your beliefs are messed-up, you’ll make different decisions. Not the best ones for your future success.
Sexists, homophobes, and racists are all horrible examples of people with messed-up beliefs. Good people believe stealing and lying is wrong. Thieves and liars don’t see a problem with it.
If you believe in ghosts, you’re more likely to be afraid of going into an old hospital building, abandoned boarding school, or a building someone died in.
The best things about beliefs (unlike facts), are that they’re not permanent, or fixed.
Beliefs can always be changed.
Beliefs can be Changed
You believed in Santa Claus, until your parents told you he doesn’t exist. Homophobic people often change their beliefs once a son, daughter, turns out to be gay. Or they don’t, and their self-limiting beliefs rob them of a relationship with their children.
When your beliefs are changed, your outlook on life and future decisions, are also forever changed.
Look at your current self-limiting beliefs for a moment. Recognize them for exactly what they are. They’re NOTHING MORE THAN A LIST OF BELIEFS. The good news is, they can all be changed.
Self-limiting beliefs can be hard to change, because they’re based on things we’ve been taught and believed for many years.
They’re deeply set in our mind, and part of our personality. So, they’re difficult to change, but thankfully, not impossible.
The first thing we need to do to start correcting them, is to question them.
Challenge Your Self-Limiting Beliefs
The best way to start on changing a self-limiting belief, is to challenge it, head on.
If you have any of these beliefs written down, or in your mind, I want you to pick just one of them, right now. You can use any belief you want.
I’m going to use this one as an example: ‘I could never be a millionaire, ever’.
Ask yourself if that belief is true, or not.
Is it a fact?
We both already know you believe it’s true for YOU. But when you ask yourself THIS TIME if it’s true or not, you’re going to challenge yourself on it.
Call yourself out on this belief right now, and see what happens.
You’ll instantly come up with reasons why it’s true for you.
I call these, ‘sub-excuses’. They’re like smaller, sub-menus, to back up the other bigger lies.
Write Down Your Sub-Reasons
Here’s my reasons to believe ‘I could never be a millionaire, ever.’
- I’m too old to start now / there’s not enough time left
- I don’t have any good business ideas
- I’m not smart enough
- I don’t make enough money at my job
- I don’t have what it takes
Now that you have these written down, look at your list.
Even though you don’t believe it yet, all these ‘reasons’ are actually just excuses. NONE of them are true.
Let’s prove each one of these excuses are 100% wrong.
Excuses are nothing but myths, so we’re gonna do a little myth-busting here.
Find Similar People to You, That Have Done It Already
At this point, this is a belief you have.
You believe it, 100%.
That’s why it’s holding you back. Not because it’s true, but because you believe it is. With that in mind, I want you to do this research as if you are trying your hardest to prove yourself RIGHT.
You believe everything you’ve written down is true. So, I want you to try your hardest to prove it.
Taking the first example from above: You’re too old to start now.
Time to hit up Google (or your search engine of choice), for some facts.
Let’s start researching millionaires that made their money later in life.
Older People That Became Multi-Millionaires
The first one that springs to mind for me is Col. Sanders, from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Here’s what I found on him…
Col. Sanders
The real Col. Sanders was an entrepreneur who didn’t become a professional chef until he was 40, didn’t franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 62, and didn’t become an icon until after he sold his company at 75.
Then, I also came across info on Vera Wang.
Vera Wang
The fashion icon Vera Wang, didn’t enter the fashion world until she was 40 years old.
She has a net worth of 400 million dollars today.
There are literally THOUSANDS of examples like Col. Sanders and Vera Wang, that made MILLIONS well into their 40’s.
I could go on forever about MANY people that never made ANY money until after their 40’s.
Even though these people are really big examples, the excuse of ‘I’m too old’, is never true.
They’re Rare People, but Not THAT Rare
It could be said that these people are at the top of the pyramid. That they’re the extremely rare few.
That is true. These are both examples of EXTREMELY successful people. You would be forgiven for thinking that you might not be able to make as much as Vera Wang. But, if you could only get a mere 400th of Vera Wang’s success, you would still be a millionaire. So, you only need to be a 400th as awesome as she is.
At the time of writing this article today, I’ just turned 45. Can I still do it? Of course, I can!
There are hundreds-of-thousands of people that have become millionaires deep into their 40’s, 50’s, and even their 60’s.
Now, I didn’t say it would be EASY to do it.
But that’s the next question for you, too.
If it’s Possible, Why Don’t More People do it?
I’m just going to go ahead, and give you the answer to this one, because it’s ALWAYS going to be the same answer.
Every, single, time.
There are 3 main reasons why average people don’t do it:
- They believe in the excuses, and the self-limiting beliefs
- It’s not easy enough (people always prefer the path of least resistance)
- They gave up too soon
That’s it!
The only reason you believe you can’t be a millionaire, is because OTHER PEOPLE believe it.
Lots of people in their 40’s have already given up on MUCH LESS. Most of society believes the same thing, even though it’s 100% WRONG.
After all.. …If you were raised to believe being a millionaire was easy, you’d ALREADY BE ONE by now.
Don’t Listen to Other People’s Excuses
Ask around, literally almost anyone will give you the SAME excuses, too.
But just because average thinking people believe it, doesn’t mean that you ALSO need to believe it.
Excuses always come out of people’s ‘buts’
THE Rick Lowe
You don’t listen to the same music as everyone else, so why would you dance to the same tune?
They gave you this excuse, because otherwise they must do the difficult work of challenging themselves.
Challenging their OWN beliefs, like YOU are, right here.
Nobody ever said being a millionaire was easy, but people want easier lives. All the average people in the world choose the easiest path.
The easiest path in the world gets you to exactly where THEY are, miserable. And misery LOVES COMPANY.
Doing what most other people can’t do, or won’t do, is going to be HARD AS HELL.
That shouldn’t stop you doing it.
Don’t Want to be a Millionaire? So, what?
Your self-limiting belief might not be about being a millionaire… …or even be about money at all.
Maybe you want to be one of the best clarinet players in the world. Perhaps you want to go and explore South America, but don’t believe you can do it.
You could just want to be an awesome honky-tonk piano player, and more power to you, if you do.
Whatever lights your soul on fire, you deserve to have it, and YOU CAN.
Whatever self-limiting belief you have, it’s 100% bullshit.
You’re surrounded by other people that believe them, too, but that doesn’t mean YOU HAVE TO.
I ban you right now, from ever talking to those about your dreams. Don’t even ask their opinions. If you do, you’ll only get the same self-limiting answers you’ve heard your whole life. You know what the answers are already, so why bother asking?
Work Through Your Whole List
Whatever your list of excuses may be, go through each one right now. Don’t stop until you prove them ALL wrong.
Take notes, do whatever you need to do to prove them completely and utterly false.
If you’re having any problems, email me, I’m a master at destroying bullshit.
Okay. I’m glad we’ve got that settled.
Now that you’ve done that, onto the next step.
Recognize These Beliefs for What They Are
Now that you know a little more about these self-limiting beliefs, you’ll find that you spot them the moment they pop into your head, a little more often.
You’ll find many new self-limiting thoughts, that you NEVER even considered before.
- Memories from your childhood.
- How you think things are, but now recognize them as just your own perception.
- Maybe just a fleeting thought about something you tell yourself you can’t do, because X, Y or Z.
Remember, this is completely normal.
EVERYBODY… …and I MEAN, EVERYBODY, has these types of thoughts. Even the most confident, richest people in the world, still have self-limiting beliefs.
One of the most important things is just to recognize those self-limiting beliefs for what they are.
Self-limiting.
Just beliefs.
Nothing more.
They’re beliefs that have no meaning or use to you, other than to hold you back.
Accept you’re going to get them.
Observe them.
And don’t EVER get mad at yourself for having them. That’s just torture.
Challenge them, dismiss them, and file them in the back of your mind until the next time they pop up again.
A Few Questions to Ask Yourself
I like to ask myself the simplest questions about these self-limiting beliefs…
- Is it 100% true?
- Are these beliefs a fact, or just a belief, or an opinion?
- Can I prove it right, or wrong?
- Could this affect any outcome in my life?
Think about the above, long, and hard.
Come to a rational, truthful, honest decision with yourself about them, and move on to working on your goals.
Ignore Them Completely
You’re now going to completely ignore all these self-limiting thoughts and beliefs.
I’ll be the first to admit that this is easy to say, but DIFFICULT to do. So, this is another place where things get interesting.
You can’t reprogram a lifetime of beliefs in just a few hours, days, weeks, or even months. Honestly, I wish you could! Some of these beliefs have been there SO LONG, they’re going to take a while to beat.
Some of them are so STUCK IN THERE, tight.
You’re going to need PROVE yourself wrong, beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt, to believe they aren’t true.
The only way to do that, is to do something you believe you can’t do.
Do Something You Believe You Can’t Do
Wouldn’t it be AWESOME to do something you never thought was ever possible?
The truth is, it’s insanely simple to do.
The first part of learning not to believe limitations, is to push those limits.
So, you’re going to do something your self-limiting beliefs are telling you, you can’t do. Self-limiting beliefs can be the hardest to conquer. But you need to start somewhere.
Once you’ve beaten even just ONE of them, the next ones will just look like targets to shoot down
So, look at your list of self-limiting beliefs for a moment.
You’re going to choose just one, that you’re going to change.
Choose ONE Self-Limiting Belief to Conquer
- Which one would you like to destroy first?
- How do you take the first step towards it?
- In your list, which one stands out to you?
- If you have a goal you want to achieve, which belief is holding you back?
It doesn’t need to be the easiest looking one to beat. You also don’t need to decide right now.
If you’re not sure, carry the idea around in your head for a few days. Just walk around, doing your thing. See which one calls out to you first. Quite often, if you’re paying attention, the universe sends you messages. Yeah, I know this may sound a little crazy. But I swear to you, this is 100% true.
I wrote a blog post about how I beat one of my biggest self-limiting beliefs. It was literally killing me, but the universe presented me with the perfect solution, and it worked!!
It lifts my spirits, EVERY time I think about it. Even though it happened 16 years ago!
An Intense Sense of Pride and Gratitude
When I look back at the fact that I was ACTUALLY ABLE TO QUIT SMOKING… …even to this day, 17 years later, I smile.
I’m instantly overwhelmed with gratitude, and pride.
A smile always appears across my face, and I feel like I’m capable of anything. Whenever I want a confidence boost, I think of beating this one. It’s an instant fix to any problems I might be facing, or any challenges I come across.
If I could quit smoking, I know I CAN DO ANYTHING.
Nothing can take that away from me. Ever.
Nobody can touch it.
It’s all mine.
The Power of Beating Self-Limiting Beliefs
That’s just how powerful beating just one self-limiting belief can be. It’s not the only one I’ve beaten, it’s just the most personal achievement, and the BEST ONE EVER.
It only takes beating one self-limiting belief, to move the needle. Even just a small one.
One is all you need to know that ANYTHING else is possible, too.
I had completely given up and did not believe I would EVER be able to quit.
But I did.
Not just thanks to a book.
But, thanks to a moment where the universe called out to me. It gave me the EXACT solution I needed, and I took it.
What Self-Limiting Belief Will YOU Challenge?
I don’t know what your self-limiting beliefs are. That’s impossible. But I do know that I want you to feel the same pride and gratitude I have when I think of beating THAT one.
It’s my superpower… …and I want you to find your superpower, too.
Like I said earlier, you don’t need to choose today which one you’ll tackle first. In fact, you might choose one, and then find yourself working on another, or pulled in another direction.
Just know that it’s okay to do that.
Move in the direction you feel is the right one.
When you get there, you’ll know which one it is that you’re going to work on.
Or just choose the first one that pops into your head.
What would the goal, or the target be, to destroy that belief?
Obviously, if you want to be a millionaire, and believe you can’t, destroying THAT belief, will take a minute.
But there’s nothing to stop you working on smaller wins, towards that goal, and celebrating every one of them.
Break the Big Ones Down Into Smaller Wins
Just using it again as an example, if you want to be a millionaire, that’s not going to be a quick win. But it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It’s VERY possible.
But you need to break this one down into goals.
- Maybe you need more income.
- Perhaps starting a new business, or project.
- You could consider learning some high-income skills, to greatly increase your income.
- Learn about entrepreneurs, or rich people, and how they made their money.
- Success leaves clues, so look to see how you can do it, too.
- Break down the big ‘impossible’ sounding beliefs, into small, achievable goals, and celebrate every single step on the journey towards it.
Want to learn a new language? You need to find a class first. Then learn 10 words, 20 words, etc. Then you learn to put sentences together.
Eventually, you learn to ask for things, and have small conversations.
Celebrate ALL of those wins!
Beat Self-Limiting Beliefs with Small Wins
You’re on a long journey to something much better.
Nothing worth getting was ever easy, so remember, you’re in this for the long haul.
One of the most important parts about this process is keeping a good mindset and staying focused throughout the entire journey.
So, you’re going to celebrate every single win you get, even the tiniest ones.
Today, when I started writing, I planned to do about an hour of writing. If all I had done was an hour, I’d be celebrating that massive victory.
I’ve been here for 3 hours so far, and I’m enjoying every moment, so I’m celebrating THIS small victory.
When creativity flows, it feels amazing to me.
Celebrate Even the Smallest of Wins
I celebrate getting out of bed on time in the morning. Sometimes, honestly… …I don’t make it.
I celebrate when I get my workouts done, especially if I didn’t want to do them, or it took a little self-persuasion to get going.
That’s a HUGE win! I HATE working out, but then, that’s just my ego talking.
Celebrating the small wins on your journey will greatly improve your positive mindset, and help you continue moving forwards towards your goal.
Don’t Try Too Hard
I know this is going to sound contradictory… …but I can assure you that pushing yourself to your absolute limits, every, single day, will NOT be a lot of fun for you.
Being totally ‘gung ho’, and trying way too hard, will not achieve ANYTHING any faster. Quite the opposite, in fact,
Slow and steady, wins the race here.
Smaller, scheduled daily discipline, adds up to far more than going at it like a bull in a china shop for 3 weeks, and then giving up because you’re totally exhausted.
Daily scheduled, disciplined action, is the secret here.
Learning how to have better daily habits, will be of greater benefit, than driving yourself crazy.
Self-Limiting Beliefs I’ve Personally Beaten
There are many self-limiting beliefs that I’ve had in my lifetime.
Many I’ve overcome. Yes, I still have quite a few, but I pretty much do everything I’ve put in here, to continue fighting.
Below, I’ll share some of them with you, and how I’ve proved them wrong.
I can Never Quit Smoking
When I was 29 years old, I was a 30 cigarette per-day smoker. After reading a book, I quit smoking, and never smoked again.
This is STILL one of my proudest personal achievements.
Nothing Ever Comes of Anybody Where I’m From
I grew up in an extremely poor environment, full of working-class people, that feel very downtrodden.
Our expectations growing up were incredibly low indeed.
Yet, for some strange reason I was able to become a pro skater.
I wasn’t trying to be a pro skater or prove myself wrong. But I learned that with enough practice, hard work, and fight (something we had a HUGE amount of), you can have anything you want.
I Can’t Live in America
Ever since I was 5 years old, I wanted to live in the USA, even though I didn’t really know where it was.
By 9 years old, I knew I wanted to live in California.
Between the ages of 15-30, I thought myself into believing it was a dream that was impossible to achieve. I tried for years to find a way for me to move over here. Nothing worked.
All it took was to meet the right girl.
I’ve lived in Southern California for 15 years now.
I’ve NEVER left, and don’t ever want to.
I Could Never Be Successful
Even after being a professional international skater, I still believed being financially successful was out of my reach.
I’d tried so many things, it seemed crazy to me.
Then, at 30 years old I started a small business from the change on my bedroom floor. Within 20 months, I had turned it into a $300,000.00 per-year, small corporation.
People Like ME don’t Deserve to be Loved
I’ve had quite a few failed relationships. Been called an asshole at least a squillion times by so-called friends, exes, and enemies alike. I believed I would never find love.
I met my current wife, and that changed immediately
Without a Good Education, I’d Only Have Low-Paying Jobs
You think your education level is bad? I left school at 15 years old.
I have ZERO qualifications in anything.
Currently, I work in high-end sales.
I earn 6 figures, live in a huge 4-bedroom house, and drive a brand new 2020 car.
Start Smashing Your Self-Limiting Beliefs Today
Self-limiting beliefs are NEVER true. It’s only when you believe in them, they become YOUR truth.
Believe you’ll be a failure, and you’ll be right. When you believe you’re going to succeed, you’ll eventually be right there, too.
Believing isn’t enough. But work on taking daily action toward achieving your goals. You’ll soon find you have a whole new set of beliefs. Ones that have higher limits, or no limits at all.
Whilst things may or may not go as planned (they almost NEVER do, by the way), you’ll eventually find a way.
And I guarantee it will happen in a way you LEAST expect it.
So, challenge your beliefs, try new things, work hard, take daily action, and never give up.
Oh, and one more thing…
I Want to Hear About YOUR Wins
I want you to email me, hit me up on social media, or contact me in any way you can, if you get a win.
Let me hear about them, please.
Or why not comment on this blog post with your list of self-limiting beliefs.
If not the whole list, let me know which belief you hate the most.
Maybe I’ll see your comments, and we can talk about them together.
I’d love to help!
Thanks,
Rick Lowe
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