‘Limiting Belief Disorder’ is a very common ailment that is suffered approximately by up to 99% of the population – that’s why the 1% have all the money and the fun.
No, you’re right, I’m pretty sure it’s not a medically recognised disorder. But it probably should be as it creates stress, anxiety and depression, and it causes lives to be half-lived and potentials unfulfilled.
It’s a very well-hidden disorder and most people aren’t aware they have it and the fact they have probably been suffering with it for most of their life.
For instance, if you ask people if they are happy – most will say yes – until you dig a little deeper, then you discover that they wish they could:
· Get a different job
· Live in a nicer house
· Leave their partner
· Go on better or more holidays
· Have more time with their family
· Have nicer furniture
· Drive a better car
· Have more or better friends
· Travel more
· Have a better body
· Be healthier
· Be better educated
· Spend more time doing the things they love
· Read more books
· Have adventures
· Try new things
· Get out of a rut
· Follow their passion
· Have more money
· Have time to enjoy the little things
· Etc. Etc. Etc.
How many of that list did you identify with? How many more did you come up with?
If you have ever said any of those things or something similar and believe that you can’t or give yourself or others, reasons why you can’t then you too are suffering from ‘Limiting Belief Disorder’.
Don’t panic though, because it is curable.
‘Limiting Belief Disorder’ is more often than not, hereditary, passed down from generation to generation. And you would have ‘caught’ it during the first 7 years of your life, when your mind was a sponge taking in everything that was going on around you.
One of the reasons it is hard to eradicate is that it works a bit like the immune system in that the more exposure you get the stronger it becomes.
Every person you come across that also has it will enhance and strengthen the limiting beliefs you are already carrying and they may even add new ones without you even realising it.
So what is ‘Limiting Belief Disorder’?
It’s the beliefs we hold deep in our unconscious mind about the world around us, how it works, what we are capable of doing/achieving, what we expect of life, our abilities, what we can and can’t do, what we are worthy of receiving. It creates our perception of what our life is – not what it could be.
Our conscious mind is the one that comes up with all the things we want our life to be (see previous list). This is where it creates the stress, anxiety and depression - because our own minds (conscious and unconscious) are not in sync with each other.
So, to stop the stress and anxiety created by our battling minds we need to get our two minds to think alike. The choice here is, do you stop dreaming of a better life and accept that this is all your life will ever be? or do you find those limiting beliefs and replace them with ones that allow you to follow your passions?
How do you know what your limiting beliefs are if they are buried so deep in our unconscious mind? How do you find them?
Paying attention to your reasons for not making the changes you want to make in your life is a good place to start to discover your limiting beliefs.
Common reasons people have for not making changes:
· It’s not as easy as that
· People like us can’t do things like that
· If only we could
· I can’t
· It would take too long
· It’s too hard
· I’m not good enough
· We can’t have everything
· It’s a nice dream
· I’m not educated enough
· That’s not us
· One day / some day
· I’m not clever enough
· I don’t have the talent / skills
Most people’s dream life is just that – a dream. They don’t set goals to achieve their dream, and if you don’t set goals you’ll never take the steps to achieve them.
Challenge your reason, see what that gives you? If it gives you another reason, challenge that, keep going until you run out of ‘reasons’. What was the last reason you gave yourself? You have just discovered you first limiting belief. Well Done!
Ways to challenge your reasons:
· It’s not as easy as that
How do you know if you have never tried? Why have you never tried?
· People like us can’t do things like that
What makes you different to those people who do?
· If only we could
Why can’t you?
· I can’t
Why can’t you?
· It would take too long
The time is going to pass anyway, what’s really stopping you?
· It’s too hard
Is it harder than staying in the life you have now?
· I’m not good enough
What makes you not good enough?
· We can’t have everything
Why?
· It’s a nice dream
Why is it just a dream and not a goal?
· I’m not educated enough
What’s stopping you from getting the education you need to follow your dreams?
· That’s not us
Why not?
· One day / some day
What’s wrong with today?
· I’m not clever enough
Why not, what skills do you need, how can you attain them?
(N.B. the people that aren’t clever enough, aren’t generally clever enough to know that they aren’t clever enough)
· I don’t have the talent / skills
Why can’t you learn and practice whatever it is you want - talent is not always nature given it’s often gained by dedication and effort.
Now you have something to work with! You can now challenge these limiting beliefs, let go of them and replace them with new UNLIMITED thoughts and beliefs.
As you identify your limiting beliefs you may even discover where they come from – you may see a pattern forming from family members or hear a sentence uttered to you by a parent / teacher / aunt / uncle /grandparent that until now you had forgotten.
*IMPORTANT NOTE*
Don’t get hung up on where your limiting beliefs came from – the important thing here is identifying them so you can change them. Those who passed them on to you probably did so unwittingly – don’t go down the blame route. That’s not going to help anyone, least of all you.
Now it’s time to break down those limiting beliefs - You do not need or want them in your life, they do nothing for you except keep you stuck where you are – knock down the barriers they have created between you and the life you want.
Smash through the wall of limiting beliefs or take it down brick by brick it doesn’t matter how it just matters that you do it.
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