In life, how to transform your limiting beliefs is a necessity because they are just assumptions you make about reality. They are not true but only interpretations of past events and experiences. These sour ideas do not help or serve you. Instead, they hinder you, blocking you from reaching your goals.
But how do you acquire such self-limits? Why are you holding onto such beliefs over the years? What can you do to get rid of them? How can you place new ones?
Every belief you have is a conditioned perception that is built upon deep-rooted memories of painful and pleasant experiences. Your views are based on how you interpret and emotionalize the incidents in your life. From very early in childhood, you attach yourself emotionally to people, events, and circumstances. And you effectively build the foundations of your belief system before the age of 7.
During those years, you absorb and register everything around you like a sponge having no filter; no matter what it is. It imprints your subconscious which in turn influences you, shapes your thoughts, categorizes your experience of reality and builds limiting beliefs.
The Disfavor of Limiting Beliefs
So, you have all these ideas, theories, and explanations about how things are and how they ought to be. Also, you make all these suppositions about life and about other people, all of which facilitate you to make better sense of the world. Simply put, you use beliefs as anchors to express your understanding of what is happening around you.
In truth, limiting beliefs provide you with a peace of mind and helps to reduce any stress, concern, or fear. It is an essential human need that assists you in surviving, avoiding danger and even getting you out of your comfort zone. But it is important to note that views and beliefs are not facts.
Yet, deeply ingrained beliefs can indeed be mistaken as truths. These ideas are often nothing more than assumptions you draw based on your early experiences. Back then these limiting beliefs did serve you. And that is why you still hold onto them today.
The second you limit yourself is the second you fail ~ Unknown
The Trap about Opinions
But, in adulthood, these principles may no longer serve a purpose. In fact, these limiting beliefs are actually becoming a burden. They are no longer compatible with your current life or conditions. Your existence is different. However, your beliefs remain unbroken, which is why you are feeling stuck in your present situation.
Therefore, you create your own reality through the use of limiting beliefs. These opinions trap you within a world based on your perception rather than upon fact. Over time, due to repetitive circumstances, what you believe is fixed into your subconscious which then proves their validity.
So, through your life, you accumulate ideas, data, facts, support, and references that form your view of reality. You even fabricate new theories through your imagination, the knowledge you get, your personal experiences, and the influence of other people. Eventually, some of these opinions are supported by more conviction and emotional intensity.
When Limiting Beliefs Become Convictions
Therefore, through the process of repetitive thoughts and acting out these things in real life, your ideas eventually turn into beliefs. With time, however, these limiting beliefs grow stronger, more robust, and stable. They then solidify as you add more references.
Ultimately, beliefs become so deeply fixed and rooted in your subconscious that it becomes an automatic routine. And it happens in spite of overwhelming facts that prove otherwise. And that is essentially when your belief turns into a strong conviction.
Yet, when true information is lacking, some people turn to faith. It purely is a limiting acceptance of something that has uncertain and insufficient real references to support it. Yet, in some cases, to have faith is essential, but not if you only desperately want to believe in something.
A belief is not an idea held by the mind; it is an idea that holds the mind ~ Ellie Rozelle
Two Systems of Thoughts
So now, you understand that some of these beliefs are linked to childhood experiences and no longer serve your greater good. Other limiting beliefs are based on false knowledge or suppositions. And besides, your brain has a tendency to distort past incidents to protect you from any pain and truth.
Therefore, these views hold such power that they come automatically to you. Everyone has negative recurring thoughts that come up. And when some undesirable feelings come up to the surface, you need to know that you have two systems of thoughts.
The Subconscious Mind
The first one is your subconscious mind which acts 95% of the time with immediate thoughts and impulses, without even you knowing it. It connects with your brain and shows you how to react because you had such a similar experience in the past.
But sometimes, those are not helpful. They are just limiting beliefs running on automatic and it sabotages you. It is like your brain saying “It is the easiest route we know.” The reason is that your mind is built to provide you with survival instincts. And most of us ignore this until we are in a dangerous situation.
The Conscious Mind
The second system is your conscious mind which performs at only 5% of the time but that you can use to generate your own new thoughts, desires, beliefs, and behaviors.
All successful people know they need to discipline their mind to support them even when it comes up with an automatic response. They replace their limiting beliefs with fresh thoughts, views, and ideas that are positive and creative. In doing so, it leads them to healthier decisions for their lives.
Placing New Beliefs
One of the simplest ways to do that is to focus on new thoughts and affirm them over and over. Too often in your life, you give negative thoughts more attention than necessarily needed. So, it is the weight and importance you give your beliefs as well as the time you last on them. And it is all that repetition that seals them in your subconscious mind.
Therefore, it becomes an automatic response. You made it so important and thought so much about it that it keeps coming up for you over and over again. The bad part about this is that if you keep focusing on negative things, your mind will be automatically conditioned to bring it more often without your control.
But the good part is that you can use that same skill set and rule to apply positive thoughts into your own life. You can put all the importance, focus and time on good stuff until they also become automatic and replace your limiting beliefs. Next thing you know, your brain comes up with new positive beliefs.
How to Transform Limiting Beliefs
However, your limiting beliefs have the support of false references and a lot of emotional investment behind them. And it creates a barrier to change. But the great news is that you do not have to go back in time to make changes.
So, here is how it works. Whatever comes easy in your life, with no effort, shows up because there is a program that allows it which is already inserted into your subconscious. In contrast, stuff you struggle over in your life, and not getting, reflects that you have a bad program. Therefore, you have limiting beliefs rooted deep down that do not support that conscious desire.
So, you need to modify these programs. Here are a few ways to do so:
Overriding Limiting Beliefs
First, to transform your limiting beliefs, there are exercises called “Brain Gym”. They are designed to make you connect the right and left hemispheres of the brain and synchronize them. And they are, of course, designed to shift your limiting beliefs in an easier way with the help of positive affirmations.
Subliminal Messages for New Beliefs
In this way, you can use the process of visualization through subliminal messages to help condition any new conviction into your subconscious. In addition, spend time daily visualizing and imagining the “you” that you want. Remember that it takes time!
Repeating Affirmations
Furthermore, you can repeat affirmations over and over to dissolve limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering ones. Any kind of affirmation will do, depending on your goal, but be as precise as you can. And do not forget to declare them in the present tense “I am” or “I have.” Doing it facing a mirror gives it even more power.
Auto-Suggestion
Finally, when used with “brain gym” exercises, auto-suggestion is the fastest way to get rid of your self-sabotaged limiting beliefs. It involves using hypnosis techniques to suggest new convictions. And it will also help you build quicker references that support any new belief.
My Final Words on Beliefs
So, overcoming your limiting beliefs is not too difficult but it takes a significant amount of work, reflection, and time. You must also practice constantly and regularly. Therefore, commit yourself to long-term change until it naturally becomes a part of you.
Now, you know that your limiting beliefs got you to where you are today. But they might not get you to where you want to be tomorrow. So, modify them accordingly. Your views might also change while on your journey towards your goals. But if you do not change them, you will have limits. And you will never reach your desires.
Great ideas to transform any limiting beliefs to ones that support us in living the life we want to live.