What Are Limiting Beliefs?

Do you believe in something that drives your path in life?

We all have faith in something, some of which we casually follow, while others serve as railroads for a higher purpose.

But there are those beliefs that limit our potential for greatness — these are called limiting beliefs.

Statements like “I can’t do this” or “I’m not smart enough” or something so low and depressing as “I’m useless” can destroy our drive and prevent us from accomplishing the goals we have already set.

Not only that but limiting beliefs can also open up an entire vista of problems. They can:

Keep you from making new choices

Limiting beliefs thin out your options when you have that feeling of seeking newer horizons.

It turns you into a more narrow-minded person. It makes any decision that strays from what you believe in difficult to choose.

You’ll never believe in anything other than what your beliefs say. It keeps you in fear of trying out new things that could lead you to bigger and better opportunities in your life.

Fixate you on the wrong things

You tend to focus more on all the wrong things in your life. In such a way, limiting beliefs can keep you negative and cynical. It bars you from seeing the positive in anything and takes your focus away from what’s important in your life.

A belief is a powerful thing that can take our attention away from anything and everything. It’s our job to make sure that it does not distract us from what’s really important.

Hinder you from reaching your full potential

Finally, these beliefs can seriously hold you back from seeing your true strength and what it could build up to.

Limiting beliefs hinder your growth and the progress of your day-to-day life. Boredom becomes unavoidable if you’re still attached to your comfort zone.

Sure, it might feel safer to stay as you are. But what is life if much of it isn’t spent on accepting new challenges and getting better each day? Literal life-changing events could be just around the corner and you might be squandering all of them by not taking a step further.

Limiting beliefs are what keep us from accepting the new while we desperately cling to the old, or what has always been more comfortable for us. It keeps us from being more open to new options, methods, and traditions that are inevitable as the next sunrise with each day of our lives bringing us closer to brighter futures.

Consider looking into what you really believe in. Is it worth keeping because it helps you develop? Or is it something you might want to discard outright because it isn’t helping you at all?