Limiting Beliefs
Have you ever thought about doing something but didn’t think you could because…
… it had not been done before
… you didn’t have enough (money/time/energy/friends/knowledge/...)
… you were too (old/young/skinny/fat/tall/short/...)
… you are not from a family of (artists/business people/athletes/dancers/...)
You get the idea, right?
Well, that thought that held you back is called a ‘limiting belief’. In short, a limiting belief is just that. It is a thought that limits you from believing you can do something. So therefore, you don't even try. If you do try, you 'fail' because didn't think you could anyway. So, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
What if...
...believed that he could never be President of the United States because a black man had never been elected president before. He would not have been our 1st African American President of the United States.
What if...
... believed that the US Patent and Trade Office would never award her a patent after being denied in 1968. She would not hold the record for the greatest number of patents awarded a black woman by the US government. She has 5 US Patents.
What if..
... believed he could never have an online bookstore because it did not exist and people bought books from a brick and mortar bookstores like Barnes & Noble back in 1994. He would not be the richest man in the world as co-founder of Amazon.
What if...
...believed she did not have time to start a business outside of the engineering field because she was a full time employee and mother of an infant. She would not be owner of Be Seated, LLC, a successful linen and chair rental business in the Washington DC area for over a decade.
What if...
...accepted the belief that no human can run a mile is less than 4 minutes. He would not have broken that record in 1954. Which then led John Landy to break the record just 6 weeks later. A year later, 3 other runners broke the record in a single event.
These stories illustrate the power of thought over our physical and situational challenges.
What limiting belief may be holding YOU back from achieving your goals or, even worse, your dreams?
