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How Do You Become Aware of Your Own Limiting Beliefs and How Do You Overcome Them?

Anything related to matters of the mind

Lex DeVille

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Everyone has limiting beliefs. Everyone makes excuses sometimes. Yet some are only limited by their beliefs momentarily, while others are held back for years, even forever, from the outcomes they want. And even though people try to point out your limiting beliefs, you ignore them because you know yourself better than anyone... you think.

But it's hard to recognize your own demons even when you've faced them before. So I'm curious what is your process for identifying this dream-eating, soul-crushing monster when you're basically blind to it? My process is below for anyone who is curious.


Limiting Beliefs & Excuses

Limiting beliefs are revealed through excuses, and those excuses result from a missing "how" part of the equation.

I am here. I want to be over there. But I don't know how to get from here to there. THEREFORE it must not be possible.

Only the conclusion is flawed.

And if you replace the "don't know how" part with different information, then the conclusion changes.

I am here. I want to be over there. I can cross this bridge to get from here to there. THEREFORE I must cross this bridge to reach my destination.

This assumes that a bridge exists and that you notice that bridge.

But what happens when you don't notice the bridge, or worse, it doesn't exist? Then you are back where you started. You lack the "how" piece again. So the only possible conclusion MUST be to quit, turnaround, go home, because you cannot continue this way... can you?

If it were me, and I did not notice a bridge, or a bridge did not exist in this place, then I would not turn around just yet. I would ask HOW can I go forward anyway? Can I build a bridge? A rope swing? Can I fly across? Catapult myself? I would identify possible options, determine which option I like best, and then ask, HOW can I create this? HOW can I make this happen?

"How" naturally leads into "where" can I start? "What" tools, supplies, or knowledge might I need? "Who" could help me do this?

But I think many more people just ask, "Why? Why is this terrible thing happening to me?"


My Process for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I don't know what I don't know, and I'm not better at seeing limiting beliefs than anyone else. I also don't know the limitations of what is possible in general, or even what is possible for me. Since all of these unknowns exist, then the only approach that makes sense to me is to assume that ANYTHING is possible.

If I assume anything is possible, then it means that ANY excuse is automatically bullshit. In other words, it is a limiting belief, and I only have to figure out HOW to overcome it.

So my approach to overcoming limiting beliefs is just to assume that I can do anything and that the only reason I can't has nothing to do with possibilities, and everything to do with a lack of "HOW" information that needs to be filled in so that I can go forward.

By operating like this, then any failures are never a result of limiting beliefs. They can only be a result of choice. If solving the HOW piece completes the equation and provides an alternative conclusion, then, once I figure out HOW something works, I must either choose to pursue it or not.

One flaw in this approach might be that some people are not equipped to solve the "HOW" piece of their problem. I view this as only another excuse fueling a hidden limiting belief. If you are not equipped with the (knowledge, tools, connections etc.) then you return to the "HOW" question to solve that piece too. HOW can you solve this new problem so you can continue onward to solve the other problem?

To me, it always comes down to choice.

I can determine that there are too many "how" questions to be answered and choose to pursue a different goal (but I could also ask "how" can I decrease the number of "how" questions). Or I can choose to pursue this goal anyway and work through each of those problems one at a time. In any case, it is always only a choice that stops me from continuing. It is never really the excuses that I'd like to tell myself about why something is not possible.

So yeah, that's my process. I'm curious if others do something differently. How do you identify your own limiting beliefs and how do you overcome them? Maybe someone else will find that useful for their journey too.
 
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1. Receiving fresh experiences and friendships that inspire me to act.

Happy successful ppl do NOT motivate me like they motivate others. If hanging out with super successful ppl motivated me I would try to find those ppl to hang out with.

Being around overweight ppl with poor posture at the waterpark motivates me to go to the gym. Seeing pics of ppl who went from 208lbs to 145lbs and are now Olympians makes me feel like a failure. The same is true in almost every area of my life. I’m a negatively motivated creature. I don’t have enough patience for myself so beauty, in any form, tempts me to despair. Meanwhile, ugliness angers me or fills me with compassion and makes me want to Help.

Reading about amazing entrepreneurs who made 1.2mil in their second year does NOT motivate me but having one convo with someone who genuinely appreciates my encouragement will keep me going for a week.

I’ve learned that some stuff propels me much faster than others. That stuff energizes me to confront my laziness and unwillingness to battle against my own limited beliefs.

2. Journaling out the negative emotions that arise from confronting what I perceive to be “truth”.

I’m not meant to achieve _______. I probably shouldn’t even try ________. Expressing out two pages of this a day is as crucial to my wellbeing as going to the bathroom. I need to get the b.s. OUT.


3. Seriously studying concepts that are not linked to my business ideas at all in any way. I call this composting. I’m just resting my heart and mind in a different area of study. Inevitably this gives me fresh perspective. Learning about Medieval England had me reworking my habits without even realizing it. Tackling math makes writing seem so easy, etc.

4. Reading or Re reading every book I can find about ppl who struggled to create art. I’ve found a HUGE similarity between artists and entrepreneurs. I don’t see enough books about this OR possibly it’s just a connection that helps me. They have precisely the same problems. Artists discuss “birthing” their passion and working privately to stay true to the “vision”. Entrepreneurs have to do the same. They both put in the same amount of grueling duty-filled obligation to obscure subjects that NO ONE cares about but other artists/entrepreneurs!

It turns out that all great works, whether art or science, exploration or industry come from people who dedicated themselves far, far more than what was “normal”.

5. Disciplining myself to work at producing something at the same time every day even if I don’t have to.

6. Reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

7. Hanging out on the forum.
 
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I do have a lot of limiting beliefs I’m still struggling to overcome.


The one I’m struggling with right now is crippling.

This is what happens:

I believe I can take a business to a 5 figure mark/ month, I really do.

But everytime I cross 3-4k/ month, I start having second thoughts such as:

- What if this is not the right product?
- I’m not providing real value, I’m just selling things.
- Growth is slow, I know I can build something that can earn more faster.

Then shiny objects kicks in and I start working towards a new project. I let the previous one fall into the abyss.

Repeat.

My last business is/ was a jewellery business. Took it from 0 to £3,5k/ month constantly. Then after a few months what I’ve described above happened.

Now when logic has kicked back in, I realize I have a lot of money stuck in inventory and I have to revive the business in order to get rid of the inventory.


I don’t know really how to fix this. It feels like I’m self sabotaging myself.
Think of it like an old water pump. Google it, if you are too young. Mechanical water pump, it takes a lot of pumping to get the water to flow. First few drops are hard to get. If you quit, you miss out on the flood of easy water after. But you can’t stop pumping! Same with your business. Keep pumping.
 

Antifragile

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Lex, excellent post. Thomas Edison once said: "If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves". I believe that to be true. With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work - disciplined hard work, we can overcome limits.

I struggle with this. That’s because my ambition carries me way too far! And before you know it - limits on my beliefs are validated by the outcome. Example: set a goal to place in top 100 in a race of 4,000. With family, business etc, it’s not my top priority. It’s possible but my goals are often too damn high. So I placed 283rd, qualified for a Word Championship, but also leaned that my goals must be lower. In sports that may be the case, but when it comes to money it’s not. Money is abundant and not limited. Yet the belief sticks! So, thanks for posting this. I needed this reminder and went back in my notes.
This is what helps me:

Ask: What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

  • Act as if it were impossible to fail.
  • Believe that everything that happens is for a reason and it will serve you.
  • Delay judgement of a situation as good or bad until later, much later, when you can see it for what it is. (Bad news can be actually the best news, like a pivot you need in your business that unlocks massive value).
 

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Everyone has limiting beliefs. Everyone makes excuses sometimes. Yet some are only limited by their beliefs momentarily, while others are held back for years, even forever, from the outcomes they want. And even though people try to point out your limiting beliefs, you ignore them because you know yourself better than anyone... you think.

But it's hard to recognize your own demons even when you've faced them before. So I'm curious what is your process for identifying this dream-eating, soul-crushing monster when you're basically blind to it? My process is below for anyone who is curious.


Limiting Beliefs & Excuses

Limiting beliefs are revealed through excuses, and those excuses result from a missing "how" part of the equation.

I am here. I want to be over there. But I don't know how to get from here to there. THEREFORE it must not be possible.

Only the conclusion is flawed.

And if you replace the "don't know how" part with different information, then the conclusion changes.

I am here. I want to be over there. I can cross this bridge to get from here to there. THEREFORE I must cross this bridge to reach my destination.

This assumes that a bridge exists and that you notice that bridge.

But what happens when you don't notice the bridge, or worse, it doesn't exist? Then you are back where you started. You lack the "how" piece again. So the only possible conclusion MUST be to quit, turnaround, go home, because you cannot continue this way... can you?

If it were me, and I did not notice a bridge, or a bridge did not exist in this place, then I would not turn around just yet. I would ask HOW can I go forward anyway? Can I build a bridge? A rope swing? Can I fly across? Catapult myself? I would identify possible options, determine which option I like best, and then ask, HOW can I create this? HOW can I make this happen?

"How" naturally leads into "where" can I start? "What" tools, supplies, or knowledge might I need? "Who" could help me do this?

But I think many more people just ask, "Why? Why is this terrible thing happening to me?"


My Process for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I don't know what I don't know, and I'm not better at seeing limiting beliefs than anyone else. I also don't know the limitations of what is possible in general, or even what is possible for me. Since all of these unknowns exist, then the only approach that makes sense to me is to assume that ANYTHING is possible.

If I assume anything is possible, then it means that ANY excuse is automatically bullshit. In other words, it is a limiting belief, and I only have to figure out HOW to overcome it.

So my approach to overcoming limiting beliefs is just to assume that I can do anything and that the only reason I can't has nothing to do with possibilities, and everything to do with a lack of "HOW" information that needs to be filled in so that I can go forward.

By operating like this, then any failures are never a result of limiting beliefs. They can only be a result of choice. If solving the HOW piece completes the equation and provides an alternative conclusion, then, once I figure out HOW something works, I must either choose to pursue it or not.

One flaw in this approach might be that some people are not equipped to solve the "HOW" piece of their problem. I view this as only another excuse fueling a hidden limiting belief. If you are not equipped with the (knowledge, tools, connections etc.) then you return to the "HOW" question to solve that piece too. HOW can you solve this new problem so you can continue onward to solve the other problem?

To me, it always comes down to choice.

I can determine that there are too many "how" questions to be answered and choose to pursue a different goal (but I could also ask "how" can I decrease the number of "how" questions). Or I can choose to pursue this goal anyway and work through each of those problems one at a time. In any case, it is always only a choice that stops me from continuing. It is never really the excuses that I'd like to tell myself about why something is not possible.

So yeah, that's my process. I'm curious if others do something differently. How do you identify your own limiting beliefs and how do you overcome them? Maybe someone else will find that useful for their journey too.
Uncertainty is real. Everyone has their own way to deal with it positively and constructively.

Travis Kalanick, Uber founder famously said fear is the disease and hustling is the antidote.

I took a slightly different but yet somewhat similar approach. My mantra is speed solves everything.

You never know if it works until you try and gets feedback, and over the same period of time someone who had a major breakthrough vs someone who has not, is most likely that the the guy made it tried more times and also had more failure.

If your worry is that most things will not work well as you want, rest assured that this is TRUE. Most things don’t and won’t work out that way you want especially so in business. So good news is as long as you try hard enough in different ways QUICKLY and gets feedback, sooner or later you will have your lucky day and make it big.

The only most important thing you have control is speed. How fast do you want it to be?
 

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This question is something I want to understand better. I believe anything is possible, but whether or not it is feasible is a different story. If I ask, "Is this feasible?" then I have to figure out if a "no" answer is just an excuse or is the actual reality, and also if a "yes" answer is just because I'm being irrational about it or if that is the reality. I'd like to know how others sort out the feasibility issue for themselves.
I know that the world deems it necessary for people to set goals. I put some effort into this as well. But it is a limiting belief.

I don't even look at the feasibility with any concerted effort. My mind may wander through it but it isn't a focus.

Following your instincts is much more important. Going in the direction of your wants and desires is the right path. When you move toward a direction, it is easy to see all the barriers that come up. I watch to see how the barriers play out. This actually gives us information about the direction we are taking.

More effort should go into the direction that you are being guided toward.

An example that I have was when I was working toward the purchase of a strip mall. There was this distinct feeling that I really wanted this deal. At first, potential partners were being called upon. I did not even have enough cash at the time to put down the rather significant earnest deposit and called upon someone to place it for me. He did.

After a couple weeks, money opened up to me. I had three apartment deals that were in the process of being sold to acquire money to make this transaction. All three of them went into contract to sell during that couple of weeks. All of a sudden, I saw that there was a path to complete this myself.

I refunded the earnest money deposit to my potential partner along with 5 grand for the short term use of his funds and let him know I was going to do this one myself.

As I moved forward, problems began to arise in the sales. I had four other partners in a couple of these deals. It was really difficult as a couple of them did not want to sell.

The lender was also becoming an issue. The property was only half occupied and it did not fit within the guidelines of income required.

The seller of the commercial property got an interested party in signing a lease on part of the space. All of a sudden, they did not want to sell the property at the agreed upon price. Once this lease was completed, the property would be worth more money.

I was now faced with the possibility that if the apartment transactions did not close in time, that the seller would cancel the contract. Not only would the deal be lost but 50K in earnest money would be lost.

Not wanting to allow these "possible" obstacles deter me, I let all the pieces continue to flow.

With the new potential lease for the strip center, the lender agreed to proceed even though the lease was not signed yet. The apartment transactions closed on the last day that I was allowed in order to get the funds to close the strip mall deal. The seller was definitely going to cancel if I did not close that day.

I had the money wire transferred direct from escrow to escrow and closed them simultaneously.

At first glance, it would seem that the obstacles would not be worth the risk. But I felt that everything was flowing in line and had confidence that it would all come together.

There were many other little obstacles like the fact that a couple of the apartments being sold were in a contract with the city for low income. They had the right to decide whether the buyer could buy and there were a lot of requirements that needed to be met for the buyer to take over. It was almost hellish with the amount of power they had in this. So many petty requirements and long delays by them in the review.

That commercial transaction was a great deal for me. I sold it a couple years later at a 2M profit.
 
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Negative beliefs and biases sting.

I'm kinesthetic dominant, so when it comes to doing things, I either do, or don't.

Not a lot of verbal thinking or consideration, just the pure feeling of capability and confidence.

What kills me is that I have things I like to do like cleaning, hiking in the direct sun in 100f desert heat... but can't bring myself to start or stay focused on positive work to move forward in business life like making those cold calls or overdelivering (even delivering!) on client work.

I keep trying things like Tony Robbin's NAC procedures and his dickens process, but no matter how many hundreds of words I write out for how much pain certain behavior brings me and how much pleasure I can get for a small amount of pain in the present... the change doesn't materialize.

I try to question and reword, and only use positive vocabulary and repeat things to myself with powerful presuppositions, but again... nada.

I'm still focusing on basic systems (wake up early, make coffee, sit right down to do client work) and basic techniques out of Alex Korb's the upward spiral (have adhd and spend time with screens, so my pre-frontal cortex has trouble overpowering my dorsal striatum's habits), but for me it looks as though it may be a long path to uncovering the the most basic limiting beliefs I have, or finding the right way to connect with and change them once and for all.

Thanks for the read Lex.
 
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I do have a lot of limiting beliefs I’m still struggling to overcome.


The one I’m struggling with right now is crippling.

This is what happens:

I believe I can take a business to a 5 figure mark/ month, I really do.

But everytime I cross 3-4k/ month, I start having second thoughts such as:

- What if this is not the right product?
- I’m not providing real value, I’m just selling things.
- Growth is slow, I know I can build something that can earn more faster.

Then shiny objects kicks in and I start working towards a new project. I let the previous one fall into the abyss.

Repeat.

My last business is/ was a jewellery business. Took it from 0 to £3,5k/ month constantly. Then after a few months what I’ve described above happened.

Now when logic has kicked back in, I realize I have a lot of money stuck in inventory and I have to revive the business in order to get rid of the inventory.


I don’t know really how to fix this. It feels like I’m self sabotaging myself.
 
Last edited:

AnnAng

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Great topic and tips! Thanks for sharing, everyone!

There are a few things that have been useful for me in terms of overcoming limiting beliefs.

  1. Reading books, especially the ones that deal with mindset, personal growth, and psychology. I always find it fascinating to read how our minds work and how we are all prone to biases. Reading these types of books helps me develop my self-awareness and monitor for limiting beliefs and resistance I have.
  2. Working with my personal coach. Being able to share my thoughts and get an outside perspective has done wonders for me.
  3. Being part of a mastermind. We meet weekly and we are all in the same stage of our business growth. Being there for them and also hearing about their struggles, normalizes mine and helps me grow personally.
 

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Lex, thank you!

Sometimes, you know what the problem is because someone tells you and then you can go solve it somehow.

But asking how, allows you to 'define' the actual problem. To know where you need to start.

Another great piece to add to my problem solving arsenal :)
 

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Everyone has limiting beliefs. Everyone makes excuses sometimes. Yet some are only limited by their beliefs momentarily, while others are held back for years, even forever, from the outcomes they want. And even though people try to point out your limiting beliefs, you ignore them because you know yourself better than anyone... you think.

But it's hard to recognize your own demons even when you've faced them before. So I'm curious what is your process for identifying this dream-eating, soul-crushing monster when you're basically blind to it? My process is below for anyone who is curious.


Limiting Beliefs & Excuses

Limiting beliefs are revealed through excuses, and those excuses result from a missing "how" part of the equation.

I am here. I want to be over there. But I don't know how to get from here to there. THEREFORE it must not be possible.

Only the conclusion is flawed.

And if you replace the "don't know how" part with different information, then the conclusion changes.

I am here. I want to be over there. I can cross this bridge to get from here to there. THEREFORE I must cross this bridge to reach my destination.

This assumes that a bridge exists and that you notice that bridge.

But what happens when you don't notice the bridge, or worse, it doesn't exist? Then you are back where you started. You lack the "how" piece again. So the only possible conclusion MUST be to quit, turnaround, go home, because you cannot continue this way... can you?

If it were me, and I did not notice a bridge, or a bridge did not exist in this place, then I would not turn around just yet. I would ask HOW can I go forward anyway? Can I build a bridge? A rope swing? Can I fly across? Catapult myself? I would identify possible options, determine which option I like best, and then ask, HOW can I create this? HOW can I make this happen?

"How" naturally leads into "where" can I start? "What" tools, supplies, or knowledge might I need? "Who" could help me do this?

But I think many more people just ask, "Why? Why is this terrible thing happening to me?"


My Process for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I don't know what I don't know, and I'm not better at seeing limiting beliefs than anyone else. I also don't know the limitations of what is possible in general, or even what is possible for me. Since all of these unknowns exist, then the only approach that makes sense to me is to assume that ANYTHING is possible.

If I assume anything is possible, then it means that ANY excuse is automatically bullshit. In other words, it is a limiting belief, and I only have to figure out HOW to overcome it.

So my approach to overcoming limiting beliefs is just to assume that I can do anything and that the only reason I can't has nothing to do with possibilities, and everything to do with a lack of "HOW" information that needs to be filled in so that I can go forward.

By operating like this, then any failures are never a result of limiting beliefs. They can only be a result of choice. If solving the HOW piece completes the equation and provides an alternative conclusion, then, once I figure out HOW something works, I must either choose to pursue it or not.

One flaw in this approach might be that some people are not equipped to solve the "HOW" piece of their problem. I view this as only another excuse fueling a hidden limiting belief. If you are not equipped with the (knowledge, tools, connections etc.) then you return to the "HOW" question to solve that piece too. HOW can you solve this new problem so you can continue onward to solve the other problem?

To me, it always comes down to choice.

I can determine that there are too many "how" questions to be answered and choose to pursue a different goal (but I could also ask "how" can I decrease the number of "how" questions). Or I can choose to pursue this goal anyway and work through each of those problems one at a time. In any case, it is always only a choice that stops me from continuing. It is never really the excuses that I'd like to tell myself about why something is not possible.

So yeah, that's my process. I'm curious if others do something differently. How do you identify your own limiting beliefs and how do you overcome them? Maybe someone else will find that useful for their journey too.
I would say you can have all kinds of limiting beliefs dependent on your background and conditioning. In 2010, I had a mountain of them, in 2021 maybe a molehill. This tends to be whether you take the time to actually get to the root of them all. I see it more like a garden, where your pulling out all the weeds from the flowers.

Beliefs grow like weeds since we're always borrowing other people's beliefs from social media. You may be letting go of some and gaining new ones. Although, what I believed in 2014 when I started the forum is not the same thing year after year up until 2021.

My excuses back then were different then now.
My fears back then were different then now.

There are things I've picked up since then, I'm throwing away now, because I understand it's junk from social media.

The seeds of the weeds might still fall in the soil. Therefore, new wees grow, and they need to be pulled.

In 2014 my fears were quite different and focal point was facing Dan Pena and ESTJ/ENTJ personality types.

Where in 2021 is pushing through the fear of the Pandemic, Natural Disasters, and an American Political Revolution.

These are two different Giants to face with fear and the challenge of facing those Giants regardless of the thoughts or beliefs. Staying Calm in the storm and focused on the goal regardless of the distractions, chaos, and confusion.

This is all depends on where one is in the process.
 

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Everyone has limiting beliefs. Everyone makes excuses sometimes. Yet some are only limited by their beliefs momentarily, while others are held back for years, even forever, from the outcomes they want. And even though people try to point out your limiting beliefs, you ignore them because you know yourself better than anyone... you think.

But it's hard to recognize your own demons even when you've faced them before. So I'm curious what is your process for identifying this dream-eating, soul-crushing monster when you're basically blind to it? My process is below for anyone who is curious.


Limiting Beliefs & Excuses

Limiting beliefs are revealed through excuses, and those excuses result from a missing "how" part of the equation.

I am here. I want to be over there. But I don't know how to get from here to there. THEREFORE it must not be possible.

Only the conclusion is flawed.

And if you replace the "don't know how" part with different information, then the conclusion changes.

I am here. I want to be over there. I can cross this bridge to get from here to there. THEREFORE I must cross this bridge to reach my destination.

This assumes that a bridge exists and that you notice that bridge.

But what happens when you don't notice the bridge, or worse, it doesn't exist? Then you are back where you started. You lack the "how" piece again. So the only possible conclusion MUST be to quit, turnaround, go home, because you cannot continue this way... can you?

If it were me, and I did not notice a bridge, or a bridge did not exist in this place, then I would not turn around just yet. I would ask HOW can I go forward anyway? Can I build a bridge? A rope swing? Can I fly across? Catapult myself? I would identify possible options, determine which option I like best, and then ask, HOW can I create this? HOW can I make this happen?

"How" naturally leads into "where" can I start? "What" tools, supplies, or knowledge might I need? "Who" could help me do this?

But I think many more people just ask, "Why? Why is this terrible thing happening to me?"


My Process for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I don't know what I don't know, and I'm not better at seeing limiting beliefs than anyone else. I also don't know the limitations of what is possible in general, or even what is possible for me. Since all of these unknowns exist, then the only approach that makes sense to me is to assume that ANYTHING is possible.

If I assume anything is possible, then it means that ANY excuse is automatically bullshit. In other words, it is a limiting belief, and I only have to figure out HOW to overcome it.

So my approach to overcoming limiting beliefs is just to assume that I can do anything and that the only reason I can't has nothing to do with possibilities, and everything to do with a lack of "HOW" information that needs to be filled in so that I can go forward.

By operating like this, then any failures are never a result of limiting beliefs. They can only be a result of choice. If solving the HOW piece completes the equation and provides an alternative conclusion, then, once I figure out HOW something works, I must either choose to pursue it or not.

One flaw in this approach might be that some people are not equipped to solve the "HOW" piece of their problem. I view this as only another excuse fueling a hidden limiting belief. If you are not equipped with the (knowledge, tools, connections etc.) then you return to the "HOW" question to solve that piece too. HOW can you solve this new problem so you can continue onward to solve the other problem?

To me, it always comes down to choice.

I can determine that there are too many "how" questions to be answered and choose to pursue a different goal (but I could also ask "how" can I decrease the number of "how" questions). Or I can choose to pursue this goal anyway and work through each of those problems one at a time. In any case, it is always only a choice that stops me from continuing. It is never really the excuses that I'd like to tell myself about why something is not possible.

So yeah, that's my process. I'm curious if others do something differently. How do you identify your own limiting beliefs and how do you overcome them? Maybe someone else will find that useful for their journey too.

@Lex DeVille
When you know you know it’s just a habit, it takes time.
 
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zumwerks

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Everyone has limiting beliefs. Everyone makes excuses sometimes. Yet some are only limited by their beliefs momentarily, while others are held back for years, even forever, from the outcomes they want. And even though people try to point out your limiting beliefs, you ignore them because you know yourself better than anyone... you think.

But it's hard to recognize your own demons even when you've faced them before. So I'm curious what is your process for identifying this dream-eating, soul-crushing monster when you're basically blind to it? My process is below for anyone who is curious.


Limiting Beliefs & Excuses

Limiting beliefs are revealed through excuses, and those excuses result from a missing "how" part of the equation.

I am here. I want to be over there. But I don't know how to get from here to there. THEREFORE it must not be possible.

Only the conclusion is flawed.

And if you replace the "don't know how" part with different information, then the conclusion changes.

I am here. I want to be over there. I can cross this bridge to get from here to there. THEREFORE I must cross this bridge to reach my destination.

This assumes that a bridge exists and that you notice that bridge.

But what happens when you don't notice the bridge, or worse, it doesn't exist? Then you are back where you started. You lack the "how" piece again. So the only possible conclusion MUST be to quit, turnaround, go home, because you cannot continue this way... can you?

If it were me, and I did not notice a bridge, or a bridge did not exist in this place, then I would not turn around just yet. I would ask HOW can I go forward anyway? Can I build a bridge? A rope swing? Can I fly across? Catapult myself? I would identify possible options, determine which option I like best, and then ask, HOW can I create this? HOW can I make this happen?

"How" naturally leads into "where" can I start? "What" tools, supplies, or knowledge might I need? "Who" could help me do this?

But I think many more people just ask, "Why? Why is this terrible thing happening to me?"


My Process for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

I don't know what I don't know, and I'm not better at seeing limiting beliefs than anyone else. I also don't know the limitations of what is possible in general, or even what is possible for me. Since all of these unknowns exist, then the only approach that makes sense to me is to assume that ANYTHING is possible.

If I assume anything is possible, then it means that ANY excuse is automatically bullshit. In other words, it is a limiting belief, and I only have to figure out HOW to overcome it.

So my approach to overcoming limiting beliefs is just to assume that I can do anything and that the only reason I can't has nothing to do with possibilities, and everything to do with a lack of "HOW" information that needs to be filled in so that I can go forward.

By operating like this, then any failures are never a result of limiting beliefs. They can only be a result of choice. If solving the HOW piece completes the equation and provides an alternative conclusion, then, once I figure out HOW something works, I must either choose to pursue it or not.

One flaw in this approach might be that some people are not equipped to solve the "HOW" piece of their problem. I view this as only another excuse fueling a hidden limiting belief. If you are not equipped with the (knowledge, tools, connections etc.) then you return to the "HOW" question to solve that piece too. HOW can you solve this new problem so you can continue onward to solve the other problem?

To me, it always comes down to choice.

I can determine that there are too many "how" questions to be answered and choose to pursue a different goal (but I could also ask "how" can I decrease the number of "how" questions). Or I can choose to pursue this goal anyway and work through each of those problems one at a time. In any case, it is always only a choice that stops me from continuing. It is never really the excuses that I'd like to tell myself about why something is not possible.

So yeah, that's my process. I'm curious if others do something differently. How do you identify your own limiting beliefs and how do you overcome them? Maybe someone else will find that useful for their journey too.
Hi, new to this forum. This article was excellent is so many ways for me. Its one of the many “tools “ in the “process” to the fastlane.
 
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Lex DeVille

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It’s possible but my goals are often too damn high.

This question is something I want to understand better. I believe anything is possible, but whether or not it is feasible is a different story. If I ask, "Is this feasible?" then I have to figure out if a "no" answer is just an excuse or is the actual reality, and also if a "yes" answer is just because I'm being irrational about it or if that is the reality. I'd like to know how others sort out the feasibility issue for themselves.
 

woken

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Think of it like an old water pump. Google it, if you are too young. Mechanical water pump, it takes a lot of pumping to get the water to flow. First few drops are hard to get. If you quit, you miss out on the flood of easy water after. But you can’t stop pumping! Same with your business. Keep pumping.
I’m 25. My great grand father used to have one in his garden. I can still remember them as I was filling buckets myself sometimes.


thanks !
 

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