Oftentimes, failure to attain our goals and realize our full potential is a direct result of our limiting belief system.
We all have them. Our beliefs are deep seeded (basically anchored) in our subconscious mind.
For example, have you ever caught yourself making a statement like, “I’m not good at time management” or “I’m terrible with numbers so I won’t understand financials”?
These are examples of limiting beliefs that people construct in their mind that they then think to be true.
They then become beliefs that falsely define you, and keep you from making good choices. They limit you from taking advantage of opportunities. They keep you “stuck” and unable to move forward. They remain in your subconscious as “truths”, therefore your conscious mind believes them to be true and acts accordingly.
Ultimately, limiting beliefs keep us trapped in a negative state of mind and therefore become the root obstacles that deter us from living the life we truly desire.
What causes our limiting beliefs?
Interestingly enough, it starts fairly early for all of us. As children, around the age of 2, the number of connections (synapses) between brain cells doubles. Synapses are where learning occurs, so during this time period (usually this critical stage lasts until about the age of 7), children learn much faster and absorb more. In addition to learning, belief systems are constructed.
Growing up, your parents probably had morals and values they tried to instill in you. It could be things such as what career path you should take, what you deserve, how to treat others, etc. From that you end up forming your own limiting beliefs based on what you learned, and what you were told.
Later in life, we have other people who influence our belief system. From childhood well into adulthood, the people we surround ourselves with definitely affect our belief system (whether they are authority figures, friends, family, spouses and people we respect). Each have a profound impact on what you accept as “truth”.
Which is why I firmly believe that the people we surround ourselves with the most have the biggest influence on our behavior, attitudes, beliefs, and results.
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said it best:
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
So be careful who you choose to spend your time with!
One of the biggest secrets to my success has to do with ongoing mentorship from those I admire. I always have 5 mentors that I learn from at one given time. Some I might have direct contact with, some I might not.
For those I don’t have contact with, I can still learn from them. I can read books they’ve written, listen to podcasts they broadcast, or watch videos they’ve created.
The key is to keep learning from others who are doing, or have done what it is you are looking to do. Mentorship provides an invaluable learning experience (at any age).
Experiences play a big role in shaping our beliefs too. When we experience something (negative or positive) we draw conclusions afterward. When we draw negative consultations from experiences, we create negative beliefs that can strongly shape limiting beliefs.
For some of us, eliminating these limiting beliefs must start with letting go of the pain or trauma we have associated with it.
Whether it’s forgiving ourselves for mistakes we’ve made, or forgiving others who have betrayed or hurt us, we must let the pain go.
With that being said, I’ve found that pain can also be a great teacher.
It gives us the opportunity to achieve gratitude. The more we can focus on gratitude and appreciation (even from the most painful things that we’ve endured or encountered), the easier it becomes for us to learn how to move forward and do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen again (or how to do it differently next time).
In any case, we must re-program the story that is anchored in our past, so it doesn’t root our future…
Most of us set goals for our future. Where we want to be, what we want to have, what we want to accomplish.
Sadly many people never reach goals they’ve set even with all the tools and resources at their disposal.
Limiting beliefs directly affect the outcome of reaching goals, dreams, and aspirations.
Surprisingly, the failure of reaching a goal doesn’t have to do with the false belief that you can’t achieve it.
Not exactly, anyway.
It really begins with the belief of whether we feel we deserve it or not; whether we are worthy or not.
You must believe you are worthy of it and deserve it before you can even believe you can achieve it.
Do you see the person who deserves what you want when you look at your reflection in the mirror?
Am I worth what I want?
Do I deserve what I want?
If your answer is no, this is where you need to start reprogramming your beliefs, as if you don’t believe you are worth it or deserve it, you won’t achieve it.
The last HUGE obstacle keeping people from reaching their goals is failure to take massive action, and do what others aren’t willing to do.
Maybe they don't like what they hear, or they are so afraid of failure that they simply back off and give up.
Did you know that the people who have experienced the most failures are also the most successful?
My advice: Start showing up.
Show up for yourself.
Show up for what you’ve committed to.
And stop striving for perfection. Because perfect is the enemy of done.
My last piece of advice to help you reach your goals supports your worthiness and the actions you take.
To set goals, we need a vision.
That vision is our inspiration. To stay motivated and get things done, we need to see a way to make it happen. The most important thing about setting goals is to set goals that are meaningful to you, and you can only accomplish what you can envision.
I love using vision boards to set goals.
A vision board is a picture or collage that helps you make decisions and direct your actions toward your goal.
Visualizing success in images or drawings creates a mental image of your goal and helps you identify what steps need to be taken to achieve it.
Another process I also recommend you start that I also teach many other Entrepreneurs is something I call E.V.A. It stands for:
E - Envision
V - Visualize
A - Action
This process should be started after you conquer limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Only then can you take steps to move you closer to your goals and aspirations using this formula that took me over 30 years to refine and perfect.
If you'd like a free copy of the EVA process, simply message me and I can send it to you!
To your success,
David
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