“Our core beliefs help shape who we are.
Limiting beliefs can stop us from becoming who we desire to be.”
—Nancy Salmeron
As a personal development coach, it is my job to help individuals change their negative perceptions and limiting beliefs about themselves. We have been conditioned to believe that what our parents, educational system, and society have said about us is true. Our core beliefs, both positive and negative, guide us in making sense of the world. We look at situations and events and interpret what others say or do in accordance with our past life experience. A core belief is the way we see ourselves, other people, and the world. Common negative or limiting beliefs are that we are unlovable, stupid, weak, lazy, not enough, and unwanted. These limiting beliefs are based on what we were told as children. If you grew up in a nurturing environment, where you were told how amazing and intelligent you were and that you were capable of being anything you desired, you have a great start to believing in yourself and fulfilling your dreams. On the other hand, if you were told that you were stupid and would never amount to anything, you will have a difficult time believing that you can accomplish your dreams or have a fulfilling life. As a child, I believed that I was not smart and that I was too emotional and stubborn. These were my core beliefs about myself. For many years I felt they were true. Now I understand that my emotional side is because I am an empath, which means that I am highly sensitive to the feelings and energy of others. I struggled in school because of my belief that I was not smart, but my core belief that I was stubborn carried me through. I now understand that what I perceived as being stubborn was determination and perseverance. Your core beliefs may limit everything you do. They may have prevented you from seeing future opportunities in a different job or discouraged you from pursuing what you are passionate about. What do you believe about yourself? What beliefs developed in childhood are blocking you from living a life of purpose? Here are some tips on how to eliminate negative core beliefs, which may be holding you back from realizing your dreams and living a life of passion and purpose.
Be aware of your limiting beliefs.
We all have some limiting beliefs, but many of us are not aware of them. Being aware of these beliefs will encourage you to see them differently. These negative beliefs have been lingering on since childhood. You have chosen to accept them as truth. As a child, you may have heard you were unlovable, stupid, lazy, or weak, and you believed it. If you heard and believed this, it probably resulted in you telling yourself, “I can’t do this, because I am not smart enough. I can’t keep a relationship because I am unlovable.” These beliefs determine the way you think and how you show up in the world. When you become aware of your limiting beliefs, you can pinpoint what is causing you to not believe in yourself.
Ask yourself why you have this negative belief about yourself.
Go back, go deep, and remember where you heard that you were not smart enough or worthy of love. Face these limiting beliefs and challenge them. For example, when I feel that I am not capable of accomplishing a task because I am not smart enough, I know where this feeling comes from. It comes from family members telling me I was not smart. Now that I understand that what other people think or say about me does not make it true, I am able to discredit this limiting belief.
Recognize that your limiting beliefs want to challenge you and be right.
Your limiting beliefs want proof that they are right. They want to be able to say, “I told you so.” In a way, these beliefs want to protect you from all the bad things that could happen when you try something new. So, limiting beliefs will fight you until the end to prove that you are wrong. Don’t let them. Understand the purpose of a limiting belief and ignore what they tell you. They are not right!
Undermine limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering beliefs.
When you undermine something, you take away its power. By undermining a limiting belief, you are saying that you don’t believe it is true. Replace your negative beliefs with empowering beliefs. In my case, every time I wonder if I can accomplish a new project because a limiting belief tells me that I don’t have the skill set to do the project, I remind myself of all the other times I have succeeded with something new. Replace your fearful thought with a positive thought. Tell yourself, “I can do this. I believe in myself.” Positive self-talk is key to eliminating limiting beliefs.
Believe it or not, your limiting beliefs have a purpose. They are fear-based and want to protect you from something that may result in pain. But remember that fear is a liar and what your limiting beliefs tell you to fear is an illusion. Being aware of those beliefs will encourage you to see them differently. To fulfill dreams and live a life of passion and purpose you must learn to notice, acknowledge, and replace limiting beliefs with more empowering thoughts. I know that overcoming limiting beliefs is not easy and takes a great amount of work. But if you believe that you can change the thoughts that are holding you back from living an authentic life, you must try to eliminate them. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.
Sending many blessings and much love your way!
Nancy😊