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11 Proven Strategies to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
Self-limiting beliefs are beliefs you hold about your limitations and shortcomings that are impacting your life, your performance and your quality of life.
The question now is:
What's the actual process to overcoming limiting beliefs?
This post reviews hundreds of psychology and self-help books to come with a comprehensive list of techniques to overcome self-limiting beliefs.
How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs
This post lists all the best resources and mindsets I have ever encountered on overcoming limiting beliefs.
1. Fix it
See if there's anything you can do about it. As Peter Diamandis says in Bold (I paraphrase):
- If anything is wrong, fix it (to hell with Murphy)
Similarly, you should say "to hell the limiting beliefs" and shift your focus on whatever you can do to fix it.
Often you can do a lot about it, or you can use that limiting belief to kick start your improvement process (read also leverage pain and failure for massive action).
2. Change Neuro-Association
- Associate pain to not changing
- Associate pleasure to changing
- Interrupt old pattern (immediately switch to positive belief when you find yourself dwelling on the negative one)
- Create a better association and stick with it
Check Awaken The Giant Within for more details. This method is also grounded on the power of habit and our neurological brain plasticity.
3. Talk of Limiting Beliefs in The Past
A very good technique from NLP is to associate past tenses to the limiting beliefs so that our brain will feel like it's a thing of the past.
4. Gather Evidence of The Contrary
Tony Robbins explains very well that our beliefs often form because we select references that are supposed to confirm those beliefs. For example, if you believe you're ugly, it's likely you only focus on all those instances that reinforce that belief.
Howeverm there's a lot of leeway in reality and lots of contrasting information. If you start looking for proof and evidence that go against your current beliefs, you'll likely find many.
That will be your exercise: find as many pieces of evidence as you can and focus every day on looking for more. Faced with many counter-references your brain will slowly let go for your limiting belief.
5. Research Successful Outsiders
Research successful people who had it hard. People who made it despite they had your limiting circumstances. You'll find a plethora of them. They're no better than you are, and you can do the same -or even better-.
As a matter of fact, you'll probably find out that the most successful people are those who started from farther behind.
6. Visualize
The idea is that our brain cannot tell the difference between a well visualize world and the reality. So visualize daily to achieve goals and results that run contrary to your limiting beliefs.
7. Gather Experience of The Contrary
As much as visualization and mental control will help, you want real world experiences too. Do things and get results that will prove your limiting belief wrong, and the consistency principle will automatically change your belief.
The more you get, the better, but you can start small: your biggest step will probably the first one anyway.
Are you afraid of socializing? Start saying hi to the neighbor. See? You're not that afraid after all: I turned the page. And then keep building on it.
7.1 Massive Experience of The Contrary
Some authors say that the quickest way to change your brain associations and to overcome limiting beliefs is to cram in as little time as possible as much evidence as possible that runs contrary to your old beliefs.
That way your brain will be dumbfounded and ready to accept new beliefs.
8. Get a Growth MindsetÂ
Develop a growth mindset, and automatically you'll realize that no matter the station of life you're currently at, you can learn to outgrow it and do better.
Together with developing an antifragile ego, this is one of the healthiest and most helpful ways of overcoming limiting beliefs.
9. Re-frame: Turn it Into a Strength
Whatever it is that you're thinking, tell yourself: man, I'll get the results that I want no matter what. And when I get them, that will mean that I have become so good to achieve them in spite of my limitations.
Or don't hold punches:
- I'm so much better than all those motha**kers for achieving the same with less.
Or even better:
- I'm glad I start with an handicap. I can prove myself (and the world) how great I am to do it in spite of everything
These are very powerful reframing technique. I'm very short, so I used it often, especially in the past.
Also read more on the antifragile ego which will help you obliterate the limiting beliefs.
10. Fu*k Limiting Beliefs: Adjust Priorities
In Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle is The Way says:
When actions is your focus, vanity falls away.Â
That is so true.
It's very possibly that, similarly, you're focusing too much on the limiting beliefs instead of making action your focus. When you have a goal you really care to reach, "limiting beliefs" shouldn't be a high priority for you.
So focus on your goals and strengths instead and fu*k the limiting beliefs.
11. Fu*k Limiting Beliefs: Focus on Results
I couldn't say any better than Kobe Bryant did:
Boos don't stop dunks
And neither do limiting beliefs.
Your limiting beliefs, people's beliefs for you, haters, real limits... Nothing can stop you if you work on it long and hard enough. Get gritty, and outwork and outsmart everything.
Starting from now.
