What is Holding You Back?

You know the feeling when you have a great idea, but you're unable to do it. You want to start or expand your business, but you keep putting it off. That's a limiting belief; something that stops you from taking action on your ideas or goals. These beliefs keep us from doing what we want because they create doubt in our minds about whether or not we're capable of doing it, or should even try. If you're like most people, you probably have some limiting behaviours that hold you back. They prevent you from moving forward and living the life you want. 

Maybe it's the belief that you'll never be successful at something. Or maybe it's that you don't have time to work on your business because of all the other things on your plate. Whatever it is, it keeps you stuck in your life. 

But guess what? You can beat these limiting behaviours! And when you do, the possibilities are endless. These limiting beliefs can be hard to overcome, but they're not impossible. Here are some quick tips for overcoming limiting beliefs: 

Identify Your Limiting Beliefs 

Start by identifying what beliefs are holding you back from achieving your goals. Are they related to money, time management, self-confidence, fear of rejection, or failure? 

Once you know what they are, start working on changing them. This means changing your thought process so that you no longer believe those thoughts. Think about why these limiting beliefs might exist in the first place or how they formed in your head. 

Understand How They Affect Your Life/Company 

If you have a limiting belief, chances are it affects your life in some way. For example, if you believe that you aren't good enough, then you might feel bad about yourself. Or, if something seems overwhelming at first glance, you may want to think that you don't have what it takes to run it successfully and never take action at all. 

In other words, all these limiting beliefs have something in common—they prevent you from achieving your goals and reaching your full potential. 

Consequently, as an entrepreneur, it is important that you understand how your own limiting beliefs affect your life and business goals, so you can address them before they become a success deter. 

Change Your Thoughts About Yourself 

One of the quickest ways to overcome limiting behaviours is by changing your thoughts about yourself. It's true—start by identifying what you think about yourself. Ask yourself why you think those things, and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. 

After all, if you believe you're not good, smart, or talented enough, chances are that's exactly how things will turn out for you. Your thoughts about life or yourself are what drives your behaviour. 

But when you change your outlook on life and start seeing yourself as capable, intelligent, and talented, your guess is as good as mine. A simple shift in perspective about yourself can do YOU a great deal, especially when it comes to your leadership style. Why? Because when you have a positive outlook on yourself and the world around you, people are more likely to want to follow your lead. 

Change Your Thoughts About Others 

It's easy to see why this is so important: If you believe that other people are judging you, then you will likely act in ways that make you feel bad about yourself. On the flip side, if you believe that other people care about you, then you will behave in ways that show how much you appreciate them. 

You can apply this to your business life too—if employees believe their boss cares about them and respects their work, they'll be more motivated to do a good job for their company. If employees don't feel like their boss respects them or values their work, they'll be less motivated and more likely to leave. This means changing your thoughts about others will also help you in getting on with staff. 

Change Your Thoughts About Situations 

Changing your thoughts about situations is so easy that it's often done unconsciously. For instance, when you see something that makes you angry, you might automatically start thinking negative thoughts about the situation. Interestingly, this automatic thought process happens even without you realising it. 

So here's what you need to keep in mind: The secret to overcoming limiting behaviours lies in changing your thinking patterns by focusing on what's positive rather than negative. 

For example, instead of thinking about how tired you are after working all day and wishing for some time off from work—try thinking about how good it feels to earn money for yourself (or for your family) by working hard each day. 

I spoke about glass full or glass empty thinking in a brief video that a colleague shared on Instagram. Click here to check it out and learn more about changing your thoughts about situations (i.e., viewing things from a positive perspective rather than a negative one). 

Final Remarks 

You can do it! The human brain is incredible in its ability to adapt and create new neural pathways, so while it might feel like you're stuck in a rut, there's always a way out. 

Imagine if the founders of Google had a limiting belief about their ability to succeed. They may not have even started up their business. Or perhaps, they would have started up the company but never really believed in what they were doing enough to make it successful. 

The secret to overcoming limiting beliefs and behaviours is to change your thought process. If you can change the way that you think about yourself, others, or situations, you can overcome your limiting behaviours. 

So take charge of your thoughts and use these tips to create a life that's truly worth celebrating!