In this post, I’ll be going over some of the main reasons why limiting beliefs exist. When you were a kid, you might have believed that you would be an astronaut or the president of the United States one day.
It’s amazing to think about how wild your beliefs were when you were a kid, huh? You may be wondering why you believed such things, and the reason is actually quite simple: As a child, the bulk of your limiting beliefs hadn’t set in yet.
Our beliefs are like the building blocks of what we know — the absolute “truths” that have been with us since we were little. In most cases, our beliefs formed as we grew up, and may have been influenced by important people during our early years.
Let’s talk a bit more about what limiting beliefs are before we get into the reasons why they exist.
What Are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are, as the term suggests, the beliefs we carry that “limit” us, or hold us back from achieving our goals. They usually come up due to certain bad experiences we’ve had — typically experiences that end in failure or embarrassment.
If you allow these limiting beliefs to shape your life, you’ll likely find yourself acting out said beliefs — which will only further ingrain your belief that these types of thoughts are “true” in your mind.
5 Reasons Why Limiting Beliefs Exist
As you can probably imagine, limiting beliefs often stem from past trauma. One of your classmates, or perhaps even a teacher, may have made you feel inadequate in some way, and that has stuck with you — cementing your limiting belief that you’re “not good enough.” Let’s go over the main reasons why limiting beliefs exist.
1. They’re Born Out of Fear
Fear tends to drive us to believe certain things and act in certain ways. This is especially true for people who have anxiety disorders. This is why it’s so important for you to be able to take fear by the reins. You have the power to control and overcome your fear — it’s simply a matter of digging deep and finding it, rather than staying confined to your comfort zone.
2. Imposter Syndrome
You may have heard of imposter syndrome before — perhaps you often feel like you “don’t know what you’re doing” at work, even if you’ve consistently done a great job. This psychological pattern tricks us into believing that our accomplishments are mere luck. We constantly fear being exposed as frauds, and this fear can manifest as limiting beliefs.
3. Past Experiences
Many of your limiting beliefs probably stem from something that happened when you were a kid or teenager. If a painful incident leaves a lasting mark, your brain may construct limiting beliefs as protective shields. Of course, this ultimately isn’t sustainable. Letting your past experiences hold you back is going to prevent you from experiencing personal growth.
4. You Have a Wall Up
Over time, you may have developed so many limiting beliefs that they act as a wall, of sorts. This wall is meant to protect you from getting hurt again, but it’s actually preventing you from growing as a person. Consider a snail that refuses to leave his old shell for a bigger one. Eventually, this little snail would get pretty uncomfortable.
5. Someone Ingrained These Beliefs Within You
Again, this is something that usually happens at a young age. Your parents or teachers tell you something over and over again, and it eventually solidifies as a “belief” in your mind. It’s important to remember that the things that people may have said to you in the past don’t matter. You shouldn’t let hurtful comments hold you back from achieving your dreams.