Fighting Your Limiting Beliefs (or How to Get the F*ck Out of Your Own Way!)
You know those little whispers that convince you that you can’t BE, can’t DO or can’t HAVE something? What do they sound like to you?
Is it that you aren’t intelligent enough or you don’t know enough to excel in your career?
Is it that you think you’re not worthy of success, fortune, praise, or being loved by someone else?
Is it that you think you should look, talk or act a certain way – other than who and what you really are, for fear that you’ll be judged and people won’t accept the real you?
For me, it sounds like all of these things – as these are my LIMITING BELIEFS – and these are so many women’s preconceived, self-imposed limitations too.
I actually wrote an article a couple of years ago for a colleague in the same niche that I’m in, and in case you didn’t catch what that is…
I’m a former Nutritionist who is now a Holistic Brand Strategist (= Juice Injector), Copywriter & Editor (=Word Stylist) for other Health Business Owners & Wellness Entrepreneurs.
When I still had my nutritional consulting practice, I started seeing gaps in my own business model – and that was that I didn’t know all of the ins & outs of running the online parts of my business (umm, staying on top of social media strategies comes to mind) – and knew virtually nothing at the time about digital marketing!
So I learned… a lot AND quickly so that I could jump into the fast-paced online business landscape that I truly wanted to be part of as I transitioned from an offline consulting practice to a 100% virtual-based one.
It was this experience that lead me down the path and fueled my passion for helping other health professionals to build their online empires. I like to say that I come from a place of “what NOT to do in a health & wellness business!”
Overcoming Your Limiting Beliefs
So, back to the article…
My colleague wanted to highlight how women entrepreneurs, successful by all accounts, had approached and overcame their own mindset issues that had initially prevented them from building their businesses.
Essentially, it was shining a light on some of the limiting beliefs that were once barriers to their current day successes.
Funny thing is… when I was asked to write it, not only did I NOT feel like I had gotten over any of my limiting beliefs (by a long shot!), but I felt anything but successful!
Feeling very much like a fraud about to be found out, I did what any aspiring freelance writer would do…
I wrote a “piece”. And it was good. And the article was a big hit and it was shared all over social media. Writing that article, even though it wasn’t exactly 100% true and the fact that I still had the same limiting beliefs – it gave me something to strive for.
Want to listen, rather than skim?
Here’s the audio blog on SoundCloud that includes my contribution to that article!
You see, I wrote it as my “future self” and used it as an affirmation – a little bundle of things that I truly did want to believe about myself, and how I truly did want to feel.
And as you well know, positive affirmations have great power, and if practiced regularly, can be the start of real change.
A lot of what we say and think in our everyday lives is really quite negative. We actually have to retrain our thinking and speaking into positive patterns if we want to experience real change. Click To Tweet
Writing that article really did change my mindset.
And I have my nagging feeling of being a fraud and my chronic imposter syndrome coupled with the invitation to contribute to that article to thank, as it gave me a launching pad for REAL CHANGE.
See, for me and maybe for you too — I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, even before writing that article, that I wanted ‘the life’ and ‘the business’.
I also knew that in order to achieve this, I needed a fundamental shift in my mindset. Well, after writing that article = CHECK!
But, if I wanted to create such an exceptional life AND business for myself – the kind that embodies freedom of time (hmmm, not quite there yet) as well as not being so restricted by finances (inching closer depending on your definition)…
Well, I would just have to seriously #WomanUp and cultivate it from the ground up in order to earn the life and business of my dreams.
Once I started down this path and began doing the work – I really started to become aware of some things:
- where my mindset was off – way off, as it was when I wrote that article
- what relationships needed work
- the personal habits that I had to change
- the toxicity in my life that I needed to let go of – including a lot of negative self-talk and thoughts
So, let me offer this to you, from one reformed limited believer to another:
The next time you get in your own way, maybe because of your own set of limiting beliefs or thoughts — just take a step back and change the story in your head.
Until you change the narrative you keep telling yourself, you’re always going to be your own barrier to success – whatever that looks like to YOU.
You need to write a new story of WHO you are, what you’re capable of, and your ability to achieve it. Period.
This means doing more than just affirming “I am enough.”
Of course, that is a starting point, but you need to actually look yourself in the mirror and say – and actually believe the following…
This IS who I am.
I am going to hold myself accountable and SHOW UP as the most powerful, joyful, loving, creative, daring, bold, quirky, oddly funny, freaking amazing version of ME possible.
To accomplish this means NO more apologizing for being who I am, NO more shrinking for others and absolutely NO more guilt about my failures.
Failures are simply part of the journey – my journey.
Then, once you’re done rewriting your story – and then telling it to yourself over and over again until you truly believe it – then LIVE IT every minute of every day.
I say it’s time to #WomanUp ladies and get the fuck out of our own way!
I’ve come to embrace the notion that if we can just break free of our own preconceived, self-imposed limitations, then the possibilities are truly endless.
Ready to stand out, show up and OWN IT?!
Here’s another resource all about getting over your fear of “being seen”