Is This Silent Saboteur Impacting Your Business Growth?

We all have beliefs that are deeply ingrained in us. We form these beliefs throughout our life based on what we’re taught and our perceptions of the world. Unfortunately, some of these beliefs aren’t helpful and can limit us from becoming who we want to be.

In my journey of owning my own business, I’ve struggled with limiting beliefs. Now don’t get me wrong, when I first started my business, I didn’t realize I had limiting beliefs. And I’ll be honest, I don’t even think I knew what they were and that they were impacting my success.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that my limiting beliefs had been the number one thing that had gotten in my way on this journey. Because when your beliefs and what you think aren’t aligned with what you want to do…it’s almost impossible to make things happen. Our brains are pretty powerful that way.

Most of what we think and do is governed by our subconscious mind. Operating below our conscious awareness, our subconscious mind stores up a vast amount of information based on everything we’ve learned-the good and the bad.

It’s amazing to me that this part of our brain is operating and doing its thing without us thinking about it. It’s a very necessary part of our brain, doing things like making sure we breathe, digest food, and other things without us having to think to do it.

But, this part of our brain also stores up all the past hurts and scary things that we’ve gone through and forms beliefs around those things. So, when a situation comes up that might be scary or different, our subconscious mind starts putting up the red flags in the form of limiting beliefs. And the tricky thing is that we may not even realize it’s happening!

As a new business owner three years ago, I was afraid to tell people what I was doing. I’d just come out of a long and successful corporate career. The thoughts in my head at that time were “What would my family, former co-workers, and friends think?” and “People will think I’m not qualified to do this work.” Have you been there? Or maybe you still are?

As time went on, other things came up. Have you ever thought any of these things:

1.      I’m not good enough.

2.      I’ll never be successful.

3.      I’m too old (or young).

4.      I’ll never have enough money.

5.      I’ll never be one of the best.

6.      I’m not talented enough.

These limiting beliefs will keep us from getting things we want and achieving our full potential. But the good news is, we’re in control and we can work on changing these beliefs.

Here are some strategies I learned to use to squash my limiting beliefs so I can grow my business:

1.      Identify my limiting beliefs. The first step to overcoming them is to identify them, reflect on them and maybe even write them down to acknowledge them.

2.      Challenge your limiting belief. After you write them down, re-read them and ask yourself-Is this true? What evidence do I have that supports this belief?

3.      For each limiting belief you have, write down an empowering belief to counteract it. For instance, instead of believing you’re not good enough, remind yourself of your unique skills and talents that have and will continue to make you successful.

4.      Get support. If you’re having difficulties achieving what you want in life, find a coach or mentor to support you as you work through your limiting beliefs. That’s what I did and it helped tremendously to have someone help me identify those beliefs and replace them.

5.      And finally, take action. There’s no better way to prove a limiting belief wrong than by taking action that proves them wrong. Set goals for yourself and your business and map out the steps you need to take to achieve those goals. Then keep going even when those beliefs crop up using the steps above. Sitting in inaction will only help those beliefs to take hold.

Will you join me in putting this action plan into place? I’ve been doing it and it's helped tremendously.

And if you’re looking for a business coach and mentor to help you work through these thoughts so you can have a successful and growing business, schedule a free clarity call and let’s see if we’re a good fit to work together.