How Limiting Beliefs are Created (and How to Let Them Go)

LIMITING BELIEFS! How limiting beliefs are created and how to let them go is what we’ll discuss today. Yes, again we’re talking about beliefs, because it plays such a big role in how you will lead your life. Therefore, to me it’s a very important topic to think and talk about. 

We have to take another deep dive into the world of beliefs. In my series about being a prisoner of your identity, I was talking about how to stop being trapped in the illusion of believing that you know who you truly are. This was more about uncovering your true authentic self. In addition to that, I decided to make this video about self limiting beliefs, because they hold us back from living freely and maximizing our potential. 

Aware & Unaware limiting beliefs

We are capable of unimaginable things. We are extremely powerful (in case you didn’t know). However, there are so many of us who are unable to realize that because of limiting beliefs. Sometimes we are conscious and aware of these beliefs, but sometimes we’re unconscious and unaware of them. 

Aware

When we ARE aware of them, we’ll be able to more easily clarify the influence these beliefs have on our lives, on our friends and family and relationships. On the things we do and the way we behave, the choices we make, and so on. It makes us able to work on resolving those limiting beliefs. 

Unaware

If we AREN’T aware of those limiting beliefs, it can cause you to take steps back instead of moving forward in life, or taking no steps at all. It makes the process of overcoming a lot more difficult. It can even cause destructive behavior, unnecessary suffering, and it stops us from growing and learning. It stops us from living the life we really want to live, and it steals the joy we can experience every single day. We deserve to feel happy and to feel free, and getting rid of these self limiting beliefs lets us take steps towards feeling that way. 

Anyways, for both situations (being aware and unaware of limiting beliefs) there’s 1 solution I prefer but before I’ll get to that, I can imagine that you’re asking yourself what limiting beliefs are exactly. 

What are limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are certain beliefs that limit you in certain ways. They are sneaky and can be seen as assumptions about one’s reality that comes from one’s perceptions of certain life experiences, or what one has accepted as the truth - told by others. 

How limiting beliefs are being developed?

Many limiting beliefs are being developed in our childhood. When we are young we’re not always able to process what happens to us, and we tend to believe simply everything that people tell us. Especially what our parents or caretakers tell us. If, for example, they keep telling us that only good kids eat everything off their plates and if we don’t we’re ungrateful, it could be integrated as a limiting belief and cause problems later on in our lives.

Also, it could be that certain standards were set by our caretakers which needed to be met, and that everything below that standard was disapproved. An example of this, is that your caretakers want you to have a “good” future, so they want to do be a lawyer or a doctor and everything below that isn’t good enough. However, maybe that’s not what you want to do in life but you keep feeling the pressure and disapproval of your caretakers. When your choices and behavior are constantly being disapproved it can cause the limiting belief that you’re not good enough, and I think that’s the most common limiting belief. I have felt this way for a long time. 

A personal experience

I had a stepfather in the past which was constantly bringing me down and disapproving most of the things I did, which resulted in me feeling I’m not good enough. Like a nothing. It made me feel I wasn’t capable of anything, clumsy and stupid. Even to the point where I felt unworthy of living. That’s an example of a limiting belief, because I am none of those things and it was only holding me back and to be honest, it still does sometimes. For me, this is also a work in progress. It caused a feeling of insecurity in certain area’s of my life, but the good thing is that I am aware, and therefore can take action.

Examples of limiting beliefs

Like that there are many limiting beliefs. “No one will ever love me”. “I will never be able to realize that”. “I can’t do anything right”. “Bad things are always happening to me”. The thing is that if you believe that, it’s your reality. 

How to overcome limiting beliefs?

I think the only thing we can do about this, is to take a step back and analyze what’s going on. The first step towards resolving a problem is identifying what’s going on, right? Start questioning your beliefs and like a Spanish brother told me recently “observe it as a spectator”. His name is Chema, an amazing and smart individual! But when you take a step back and try to question your beliefs as a spectator, you’ll be able to get closer to identifying what’s really going on, recognizing that it’s the belief itself that’s standing in your way. On the side line you see things differently than on the field, you know what I mean? 

"Recognize that they are just beliefs"

Like I spoke about in the series about being a prisoner of your identity, whatever we believe might not be the truth. It is uncertain. This is the beginning of the solution, ladies and gentlemen! When you’re able to identify what are the beliefs which are limiting you in any way, shape or form, you’ll be able to recognize that they are just beliefs and therefore may not be true. This will lead to YOU rising ABOVE your beliefs. I understand that this might not be possible immediately, but it will definitely loosen you up a bit. Like that you can get the space you need to resolve those underlying reasons which are the root cause of whatever the limiting belief might be. 

Get to the root cause

When you want to eliminate your limiting beliefs, it is a necessity to resolve the root cause, or else you might be continuously suffering from scars that might have been left behind. That’s why that exploring mindset is of such high importance. Taking some time alone in nature on a regular basis, exploring the emotions you experience which are behind your beliefs can really do magical things. Also, when you are not suffering from limiting beliefs, it never hurts to question your current beliefs. Once you find out that certain beliefs are not serving you anymore, you can start letting them go. That’s how you can maximize your potential. 

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Also, I want to thank Alex!

Also, I want to thank Alex Peroff for leaving the comment he left on the third part of the series I mentioned earlier. He has a very interesting channel about personal finance and philosophy and is definitely worth checking out. The reason I want to thank him, is that his comment contributed to the idea to create this article and video.