Abraham Hicks once said,
“Your subconscious mind is 30,000 times more powerful than your conscious mind.”
That’s why you should always be aware of your limiting beliefs, which are stored in your subconscious mind but drive your life.
Of course, I am still guilty of letting my limiting beliefs drive me sometimes, but by learning to be aware of them, I have learned to replace them with empowering thoughts and actions. It takes practice, but it is truly worth it because it has allowed me to be closer to my visions.
So, what Is the Subconscious Mind and what has it got to do with your beliefs?
In psychology, the human mind has three levels:
- The Conscious Mind, which controls the thoughts and actions we are aware of;
- The Unconscious Mind, which is the deep recesses of memories and the past; and
- The Subconscious Mind, which dictates your automatic actions and reactions.
Basically, the subconscious mind is this powerful force inside our brains that guides and controls our behaviour. It is sort of like a big data bank that stores your experience, memories, capabilities, and, most importantly, beliefs.
While the subconscious helps us do things without really thinking about them, you still have the power to change and control these actions. For instance, you breathe automatically but can regulate it with meditation or breathing exercises.
The subconscious is also where we store limiting beliefs. These beliefs are mainly formed from childhood experiences as defence mechanisms to avoid negative or uncomfortable feelings like frustrations, sadness, anger, disappointment, and so on.
However, if you want to grow and achieve bigger things in your life, you need to replace your limiting beliefs with empowering truths.
Here are some tips on how to do so.
1. Reflect on your negative beliefs
You can’t tackle your limiting beliefs unless you know what they are, and that requires a certain level of awareness.
Limiting beliefs are typically grouped in three broad categories:
About Yourself
These are beliefs that you can’t do or achieve something because you are inherently incapable. Some examples are:
- “I’m not good enough.”
- “I’m not smart enough.”
- “I’m too old for this.”
- “No one cares about my opinion.”
About the World
These are beliefs that you can’t pursue something you want because people won’t allow you. Common examples include:
- “I can’t quit my job to start a business because my parents will be disappointed.”
- “People won’t take my ideas seriously because I’m a woman.”
- “I want to be an artist but no one will get my style.”
About Life
The last category is limiting beliefs about life. These beliefs convince you that you can’t get somewhere or achieve something because it’s too difficult or nearly impossible. Some examples are:
- “Someone already thought about that business idea.”
- “No one over 40 is single.”
- “Why even try? Love doesn’t last.”
- “There’s no point spending time on friendship as humans will always disappoint.”
Start by writing down your general beliefs — especially those you feel strongly about your goals and desires.
For example, you may think you won’t be able to start that business because you don’t have enough time and resources for that, which is why you have never started.
Once you have your beliefs down on paper, review how these beliefs have affected you, separate those that you think are supporting your growth and those that are pulling you down.
Another way you can figure out what your limiting beliefs are is by reflecting on areas in your life you’re dissatisfied with but are not actively working to change.
For example, you want to upgrade to a seven-figure salary but are stuck doing the same thing every day without ever pursuing new career/business opportunities.
Opening your eyes to the detrimental impact your limiting beliefs have on your growth will help you get into the journey of replacing them with empowering thoughts and actions.
2. See them as they are and challenge them
The next step is demystifying your limiting beliefs so that you can see them for what they really are.
For example, believing yourself to be unlucky in love is not a fact but an opinion. When you realize that your belief is simply, a belief and an opinion, rather than a fact, you can slowly begin to overcome them.
Take one belief at a time, and ask yourself questions like:
- What facts support this belief?
- Is there evidence to the contrary?
- Have I always believed this? If not, what brought it about?
- How is this belief affecting my goals?
- Would I think this of myself if I were so and so (think of someone you admire)?
I am also a big believer in self-coaching, and one of my favourite self-coaching models is the Thought Model by Brooke Castillo, which I strongly recommend anyone to check out.
3. Replace your Limiting Beliefs with Empowering Thoughts and Actions
To get rid of your self-limiting beliefs, start replacing these beliefs with new, empowering thoughts.
One way to figure out your new beliefs is to identify your goals and desires and then think about what beliefs you’ll need to manifest your goals.
Once you know what beliefs you want to adopt, practice your positive thoughts, which will cause you to have positive feelings. These feelings will then drive your actions to achieve the results you want.
You can do this by creating positive affirmations that you can go over every day.
4. Put in the Work
In my opinion, the best way to overcome limiting beliefs and be confident is to take action and create track records for yourself.
Although I have paused on my vegan handbag business because I want to focus on building my team in my corporate finance career, my experience in starting that business has made me realize that my limiting belief about my lack of experience in fashion is simply false.
Therefore, after you have replaced your limiting beliefs with empowering thoughts, the next step is to put in the work and take action.
Push yourself to take on small daily actions to move you towards your goals and desires.
If, for example, you have replaced “I’m not good enough for promotion” with “I have the skills for an executive position,” you should affirm your new belief by opening yourself up and applying to the positions you believe you deserve.
5. A Side Note
Now, what if events in your life seem to confirm your limiting beliefs?
For example, you believe you cannot find love and later on really get rejected by a date.
Overcoming limiting beliefs doesn’t mean you will automatically get everything you want in life.
Failure, disappointment, and rejection are a part of life.
Practice positive thoughts and beliefs, and eventually, they will attract positive experiences.
So, although you may get rejected by a few dates, you should have unwavering faith in yourself that you’ll eventually attract the right person.
6. Final Thought
Remember, if you want to achieve anything in life, you must first create that reality in your mind, and the first step is to be aware of your limiting beliefs and then work on releasing them.
I hope you got some valuable pointers from this article. If you want to learn more about how to reclaim your emotional, spiritual and financial sovereignty, be sure to check out my pages / YouTube channel.
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