Self-Limiting Beliefs and How to Overcome Them

Self-Limiting Beliefs and How to Overcome Them. Includes a free printable worksheet to help you overcome your own self-limiting beliefs.

For some people, belief and confidence come easily. They seem to have a personality where anything seems possible. In fact, many a person makes their money standing on a stage and telling other people that anything is possible. (Their proof is usually that you gave them money to listen to them.)

For most of us, though, we’re being held back. By what, you may ask? By ourselves. By our own beliefs.

Do any of the following sound familiar?

I don’t have the time.

Everyone in my family is overweight. It’s genetic.

I’m too old to start a business. Plus I don’t have any money to get started.

The world discriminates against women. There isn’t a point in trying to get a promotion.

If so, you’ve fallen into the trap of self-limiting beliefs.

What are self-limiting beliefs?

Self-limiting beliefs are things we believe implicitly that hold us back from achievement. They can be about ourselves, the world, other people, or life.

I’ll go into further examples below as well as some of what fuels them. But if you’re being held back from something, there may be a self-limiting belief lurking below the surface.

They can take many forms. And since they’re deeply-held beliefs, sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint them. They can feel like something so obvious that you never notice it- just like you rarely notice that you’re on a big ball of rock rocketing through space at 1,000 miles per hour.

Why do we embrace them?

Wondering why you cling to your self-limiting beliefs? Or wondering what causes self-limiting beliefs? There are a variety of reasons that they develop. And a variety of reasons that we continue to cling to them even when they’re hurting us.

Past experience. This is one of the fundamental reasons for self-limiting beliefs. They’ve experienced something that has caused them to embrace a false belief.
Psychology. We have a tendency to look for and believe in evidence that supports beliefs we already have. And we’re more likely to discount evidence if it goes against our already existing beliefs.
Education or lack of. So many people seem to think that education level involves simply a piece of paper. They don’t credit all the life experience they have. Or the skills they’ve learned on the job. Hence, they adopt a self-limiting belief that because they’re not formally educated in a field, they can’t do it.
Excuse to keep from leaving our comfort zone. This is a big one. By embracing a self-limiting belief, people can stay inert. And staying in the same place is so very comfortable.
Fear. What might happen if you let go of the self-limiting beliefs?

Self-Limiting beliefs examples

First, this list is far from exhaustive. I’ve just gathered a few of thousands of beliefs that people can embrace.

Limiting beliefs about job abilities. Example: I write for a living. This is what I’m good at. So, I’m not good at marketing or selling. (Take your particular career and fill in your own blanks).
My age (too young or too old) prevents me from doing {fill-in-the-blank}.
I cannot sing/dance/creative talent.
Someone else can do it better than me. So why bother?
I ‘m not intelligent. (In other words, we credit ourselves as being one thing or the other, not realizing we can improve on those things).
I don’t have the time. (If you’re using this excuse, I have a post with some tips that might help: Finding Your Way: Focus on the Important Things.)
The world doesn’t value artists. So I shouldn’t even try to make a living off my art.
If I can’t do it perfectly, I might as well not do it.
I can’t lose weight because my lifestyle works against it. Or I can’t lose weight because I have bad genetics.
I’m bad at relationships. So I’m doomed to be unhappy and alone forever.
I’m not good at money. So trying to save/get out of debt is impossible.
I’m not an organized person. So even trying is pointless.

How to overcome self-limiting beliefs

The good news is that you can overcome these self-limiting beliefs! You’re not doomed to always stay at the same spot in life. But it takes effort. Below, I have the steps. And an example from my own life.

I have a free printable worksheet below that you can work through. But you have to write them down and really think about it. This isn’t a “read and think a little and things will change” task. You have to face the uncomfortable.

Define what area of life you want to improve. Where are you struggling?
Write down all the reasons you aren’t succeeding. Use the following formula “I’m not achieving X because of…”. Keep writing down reasons until you have them all out or you start repeating yourself.
Take those reasons, especially the big ones. Identify WHY you believe this. What evidence is there to support your self-limiting belief?
For those reasons, start listing evidence against them.
How has this limiting belief cost you?
How has this limiting belief benefited you?
Where would you be without it? Dream big!
Turn that self-limiting belief into a freeing belief. Use the evidence you compiled above AGAINST the self-limiting belief to reinforce it.
Make this your new motto. If you start to slip back into the self-limiting belief, break out your piece of paper and re-read your evidence against it. Then repeat your freeing belief motto.

My example has to do with my weight and fitness level. Right now, I’m technically obese. I wince even writing that. But it’s true. And ignoring the facts doesn’t change them.

The three biggest reasons I’m not succeeding & (the evidence I have to support it):
• I have bad genetics, almost everyone in my family is overweight. (This is true, even being obese, I’m skinnier than about half of my family.)
• I’m too lazy to work out. (This FEELS true. I’ve tried different workouts and I either don’t get started or give up 10 minutes in because I’m so tired).
• Something always comes up and I have a reason to overeat. It’s a special night out or Girl Scout cookies just came out or it’s the holidays. (Self-evident…the calendar bears this out).

Now, evidence against these self-limiting beliefs:
• There are healthy people in my family.
• I can’t actually be too lazy to work out. I used to be in the military. And 5 years ago I was in GREAT shape and had no trouble working out. In fact, I was the skinniest I’ve been in my life.
• If something is always coming up, I need to plan in advance. And just because Girl Scout cookies are out doesn’t mean I need to eat an entire box. I can eat two cookies a day and savor them over a week.
• I’ve succeeded at just about everything else in my life I’ve wanted. I’ve been published in magazines. I was first in my class at ELT nuclear school in the Navy. I’m running a growing, successful website. Etc. Etc.

My self-limiting belief has cost me 2 decades from hiding from the camera, hating pictures, and hating looking in the mirror. It’s actually really sad.

How has my self-limiting belief benefited me? Well, it’s easier to blame an outside factor for my decisions. If I gave up my belief, I would have to hold myself responsible. Which means I would have to change. And leave my comfort zone of indulging when I want and not working out. Which provide a lot of temporary satisfaction, but zero long-term satisfaction.

Then I dream a bit about where I would be if I weren’t being held back by the conviction I’d always be fat. I would stop hiding from the camera. I wouldn’t turn away from my reflection. Etc. Etc.

Turn that self-limiting belief into a freeing belief. My new freeing belief: “Jennie, you’ve succeeded at almost everything in life you’ve set your mind to. It’s impossible to believe- in fact, you have evidence against it- that you are incapable of losing weight and being healthy.”

Free printable self-limiting belief worksheet

Instructions:
• Print options: regular paper works for this overcoming self-limiting beliefs pdf.
• The file is in pdf below. Just hit the “download” button (or pink word “download,” depending upon browser).
• The default size of these is full-page. However, if you want smaller, simply reduce the print size! If you’re not sure on how much to reduce, check out my post How to Resize Printables to Fit Your Planner.”