Removing barriers
- Philip Brophy
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
Initiate a mindset shift • 3 min read
According to the National Science Foundation, we experience, on average, about 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. 80% of these are negative thoughts, while 95% are repetitive.
When we’re actively conscious of how we instinctively think more negative than positive thoughts, we can begin to work on reversing the trend.
Introduction
Our self-limiting beliefs lurk deep within our unconscious. It can be hard to recognise them, but it helps to focus on one simple word, “because.”
Looking at the below example, we can learn to distinguish between the issue and the reason we think it can’t be resolved, for example,
"I can’t network (problem) because I’m not sociable (belief)."
When we impose these self-limiting beliefs between the problem and reaching a resolution, we get into subjective perceptions that are not necessarily actual facts. What helps is to learn to distinguish between what is actually a belief and what is a fact.
The difference between facts and beliefs
Take these two examples:
"I can’t learn a new skill (problem) because I’m too old (belief)."
vs.
"I'm running late for my next meeting (problem) because I’m stuck in traffic (fact).”
Facts are facts and it’s hard to change them, but it’s entirely possible to change a belief.
The tricky part is deciding whether your reason is merely a belief or an actual fact. We can do this by:
Figuring out the problem we’re trying to solve, for example "I'm not feeling optimistic about my appraisal (problem)."
Brainstorming all possible reasons why this could be an actual problem.
We can use the “because” identifier to do this. Try completing each self-defeating thought with at least four different reasons while using your best judgement to separate the facts from self-limiting beliefs, for example,
"I'm not feeling good about my appraisal because I’m not good enough. (a belief, which is likely not a fact)."
"I'm not feeling good about my appraisal because I was given instant negative feedback (true fact)."
"I'm not feeling good about my appraisal because my colleagues think I’m weird (a belief, which is probably not true)."
"I'm not feeling good about my appraisal because the feedback was unfair (true fact)."
So far, by using this method, you’ll have discovered two self-limiting beliefs.
When we test our reasons for thinking each one, we can evaluate your belief system, discerning the true facts from our self-limiting beliefs that are holding us back.
Key takeaways
When we impose self-limiting beliefs between our problem and resolution, we expose ourselves to subjective perceptions that are not necessarily facts.
We can use the “because” identifier to map out different possible scenarios for our perceived problems.
By testing our reasons for thinking each one, we can envisage the number of unhealthy branches in our belief tree — allowing us to see what’s holding us back.
Think big, act small
To eliminate the barriers we create, how about making a record (e.g., a voice note on your phone) of whenever you hear an internal voice resembling a limiting belief?
Once you notice the same belief popping up more than once, it may help to explain why you haven’t been able to achieve some of your most important goals.
Content sources
Forbes, Whitener, S., 2020, ‘How To Use Empowering Beliefs To Overcome Limiting Beliefs And Find Freedom’
Forbes, Prossack, A., 2021, ‘How To Overcome Limiting Beliefs And Thrive As An Entrepreneur’
Forbes, Bumford, J., 2019, Limiting Beliefs: What Are They And How Can You Overcome Them?
Forbes, Whitener, S., 2018, 'What's Holding You Back? How To Separate Facts From Self-Limiting Beliefs'
Harvard Business Review, Neale, P., ‘”Serious” Leaders Need Self-Care Too’
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