Self-limiting beliefs or limiting beliefs, which ever term resonates most with you, are part of personal growth and development. All of us encounter them at some point in our lives. But, it’s those people that are able to identify and overcome their limiting beliefs that are going to push through their blocks, move on and forward and be successful.
In this post I want to answer your questions, what are limiting beliefs, some examples of limiting beliefs and the best journal prompts to uncover and overcome self-limiting beliefs that are blocking your success, are holing you back and are keeping you small.
Let’s dive right in!
What are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are those thoughts, beliefs and stories you keep on telling yourself that are holding you back, that are keeping you from going after and getting what you truly want and desire.
They limit you from reaching your full potential, taking action and they have the power to keep you stuck where you are right now. They keep you small and in your comfort zone. As you know, nothing changes when you remain in your comfort zone.
Self-limiting beliefs are subconscious, which means you’re not really aware of them at first. They creep up on you, create self-doubt, lower your certainty and trust in yourself and are nagging on your confidence. If you allow them to take control of what you belief, you will be stopped in your tracks. You’ll stop tacking action and might give up as you belief whatever it is you desire and want is not possible.
When you don’t belief that it’s possible for you, why would you spend time, energy and effort working on or towards something that you belief won’t come true? This is where self-belief comes in and a possibility mindset.
Examples of Limiting Beliefs
Alright, now that you know what limiting beliefs are, it’s time to look at some examples.
Common thoughts that might foster self-limiting beliefs could look like this:
- I can’t do it
- I’m not good enough to/for …
- He/She is so much better at …
- It’s never going to work
- I’ll never be able to …
- I’m not capable of …
- What if …
- and the list goes on
Self-limiting beliefs can pop up in every area of your life. Thus, here are a few examples of limiting beliefs you might encounter in the following eight areas of life – career & business, financial & money, family & love, health & fitness, social & friendships, physical environment, spirituality and intellectual.
Have you had any of these limiting beliefs? I certainly have.
Career & Business
- I won’t get this job promotion, my colleague knows a lot more than me. Why’d they pick me?
- It’s so hard to start a side hustle. I’ll never sell anything.
- My manager would never give me a salary increase.
Financial & Money
- I’ll never be debt free.
- It’s so difficult and hard to make extra money.
- I’ll never be able to safe a enough money to put a deposit together for a flat/house.
Family & Love
- I’m not pretty enough, that’s why I’m still single.
- I’m too old now to get pregnant and have kids.
- I’m too shy, that’s why I haven’t found my soulmate yet.
Health & Fitness
- I can’t loose weight, it’s just hopeless. I always put it back on.
- I’m just not a sporty person.
- My back is hurting, but it won’t get better
Social & Friendships
- It’s so hard to find new people to meet and make new friends.
- I’m going to stay lonely, I feel so unlovable.
- I never get invited over to my friends, they don’t like me anymore.
Physical Environment
- I don’t enjoy where I live right now, but I can’t move houses.
- I’ll never be able to live in a beautiful home with a garden.
- I’m not an organised and tidy person.
Spirituality
- I’m not a spiritual person at all so this won’t work for me.
- Crystals and all this woo is nonsense.
- Manifestation always works for others, but never for me.
Intellectual
- I don’t have enough time to invest in personal development.
- I need to prioritise my family over myself.
- I’m too stupid to understand tech.
How can you uncover and ultimately overcome limiting beliefs? The below journal prompts are a perfect start and will help for sure.
10 Best Journal Prompts to Uncover your Self-Limiting Beliefs
It’s time to get your cuppa, find a quiet corner and sit down with your journal.
Journaling is a great way and exercise for self-discovery as you’ll be asking yourself relevant questions that help you uncover what’s holding you back, stopping you from taking action and moving forward.
Be honest with yourself while journaling. There is no right or wrong answer, just what you belief at this present moment in time.
Journal Prompts:
- Why am I not doing what I said I would do?
- Why am I pushing X back over and over again?
- What is the worst that I belief can happen ?
- What am I scared of or what do I fear could happen?
- What is the worst case scenario?
- Why am I scared of or fear this?
- Is what I belief actually true?
- What evidence do I have that proves what I belief is actually NOT true?
- What is the best case scenario?
- What can I do that will help me to feel scared about X?
Once you’ve uncovered your limiting beliefs, your absolutely able to address and overcome them. Change your narrative around you’re limiting beliefs, build an evidence bank of things you’ve been able to do when you initially thought you couldn’t and simply refer back to the above journal prompts as needed.
Using these 10 best journal prompts to uncover self-limiting beliefs is not necessarily a one time or one off exercise. You’ll encounter them throughout your life, at different stages of your life and in different areas of your life.
Therefore, whenever you feel stuck, whenever you feel something is holding you back, come back to these ten journal prompts to uncover and overcome your limiting beliefs.
Happy journaling!
If you found this post on 10 Journal Prompts To Uncover Self-Limiting Beliefs That Are Blocking Your Success helpful, you might enjoy reading my post 8 Reasons why you’re NOT making progress on your goals
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