What if I told you – you could achieve or have anything you wanted? Sounds pretty good, right? Take a moment to think about all of the dreams you’ve had over the years. The perfect life. The dream vacation. The ultimate job. Starting your own business. Retiring early. Traveling the world.

Overcoming the Power of Limiting Beliefs

Now – take a moment and ask yourself why you don’t already have these things? What is standing in your way?

I am here to tell you that you can achieve most anything you put your mind to. But most people succumb to the power of limiting beliefs; this prevents them from reaching their goals.

My battle with limiting beliefs

I never found much success before my early to mid twenties. I didn’t graduate high school on time. I failed out of college twice and probably had a problem with drinking and partying. The first quarter of my life was not stable.

I might’ve fell victim to a self limiting belief. Heck, who am I kidding? I was trapped by dozens of limiting beliefs.

We were poor for most of my childhood. My parents went their separate ways before I turned two. We moved more than a dozen times which also meant attending new schools. I struggled with Dyslexia which made reading, writing and learning challenging.

When I was younger I had limiting beliefs that I was poor. I was dumb and not a good student. I won’t be successful. I don’t know how to do x, y, or z.

But I wanted more out of life. I dreamed of success and longed for a fulfilling life. I envisioned myself having a successful career. I told myself I would own rental properties and would climb the path to prosperity. I envisioned myself giving back to my community and help as many people as possible.

So, every day I aimed to be better than I was the day before. Taking one step at a time I worked towards my lofty goals. I told myself that I will succeed. Sure, the path wasn’t easy and I knew I would stumble along the way.

I adopted the mindset that if I failed, at least I’d fail upwards getting closer to my goal. My lack of success wouldn’t be from lack of trying. Perseverance was a must. It’s like that 90s song by Chumbawamba – “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You are never going to keep me down.”

The path wasn’t easy, especially early on. One of the toughest blows in my journey also turned into a great source of motivation for a few years.

When I was 21, I vividly remember meeting a lady from my church for a cup of coffee. She was a bigwig at a well respected institution downtown.  I reached out to her the previous Sunday in hopes of landing a summer internship.

Prior to our meeting, I emailed her my resume as she requested. In hindsight, my resume was embarrassing. I was a third year freshman with a horrible GPA who lacked direction regarding a major or career path. My experience consisted of working at hotels, bars and restaurants. I lacked extracurricular activities. 

The lady from my church was straight shooter and did not sugarcoat anything for me. She candidly mentioned that my resume was crap, that I had no tangible experience or direction in life. She recommended that I get involved in something. ANYTHING.

At the time, this was very disheartening to hear. Rejection is never easy. However, following her advice yielded great results. This rejection served as motivation to turn my life around and overcome my limiting beliefs.

What are limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs cripple your ability to achieve and thrive. Limiting beliefs manifest themselves as the voice in the back of your head telling you – “you can’t”. Limiting beliefs constrain your mindset and prevent you from growing.

Limiting beliefs will keep you trapped in the doldrums of mediocracy. Overcoming them will allow you to break through any ceiling, crush your goals, and live your dream life.

Common limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs come in all shapes and sizes. There is no ‘one size fits all’ for limiting beliefs. However, all limiting beliefs can be toppled. Some common limiting beliefs are:

I don’t have time.

It’s too late.

I don’t know where to start.

I’m poor.

I’m not a [numbers, business, art, etc.] person.

Realistically, limiting beliefs are excuses and mental barriers that prevent progress. Embracing limiting beliefs is a defeatist attitude and will set you up for failure. Changing your mindset will change the outcome. Dissecting the list above will prove just that:

The lack of time or “I don’t have time” limiting belief is garbage.

We all are afforded the same 24 hours a day, 168 hours a week, and 365 days a year. You have the exact same amount of time as everyone else. Time is the most valuable resource but you definitely have some.

If you feel that you are short on time, look into ways to improve your time management. Look at your daily habits and cut out activities that don’t serve your mission. The average american watches over 35 hours of television a week. Thats basically a second full time job. Turn off the Netflix and go conquer your dreams.

It’s too late- this is laziness at it’s finest. More often than not, its never too late to start. You will never get closer to achieving any of your goals and building the life of your dreams if you don’t start.

If you haven’t already started – start today.

I don’t know where to start – we live in the information age. A quick Google search or two will do wonders. Youtube provides a great resource as well. Most anything can be learned online these days. The information is out there, you just need to look. If you are unwilling to look, you probably don’t care enough.

I’m poor – just because you grew up poor or are not well off today does not mean you have to embrace your current situation. There are plenty of rags to riches stories in this country.  The famous actor, Jim Carey, wrote himself a check for $10 million when he was a broke kid. He carried that check around with him for years. Every day he told himself he was going to make it as an actor. He envisioned his success and made his dreams a reality.

Not all of us will be prolific actors. However, we can all create a plan to build wealth. They say the first 100k is the hardest here are 6 steps to get you started. Use a free online tool like Personal Capital to track your net worth and grow your wealth.

Im not a [x] person – we cannot be experts at everything. Nor can we be expect to know how to do everything. However, we can learn most anything these days thanks to the internet. The internet also provides a great resource to outsource tasks. Not good with numbers or taxes? That’s ok – you can either learn or find an accountant online. Not an artist? Me either – find a graphic designer online.

Adopt an abundance and positive mindset

Some people say they can’t buy a house. They may say it’s because they are poor or because they don’t have the means to do so. Others may simply not know the required steps.

Instead of telling yourself that you cannot buy a house – ask yourself, “how can I buy a house?” Where there is a will there is a way.

Perhaps you are not in a position to buy a house today but you can position yourself to buy a house in the future. Change your mindset and tell yourself, “I will save and grow my income so that one day I can buy a house. I will buy a house.”

Thinking positively about the scenario will increase your chances for success. The change in mindset starts internally. You must be the one to tell yourself that you will achieve the goals you desire.

Forget the words like – can’t, don’t,  and won’t.

Replace them with can, do, and will.

I can, I do and I will.

The world is an abundant place with plenty of resources. The only thing standing between you and your goals is you. Go out there and work for what you want. Leave the limiting beliefs behind.

How to overcome limiting beliefs

The great Tony Robbins believes that 80% of success in anything is our psychology. The other 20% is the mechanics. Having the right mindset will do wonders for your ability to succeed.

The same applies to limiting beliefs. If you think it you’ll have it. Think positively and not negatively.

The first step is knowing yourself or having self realization. Become aware of your strengths, weaknesses and limiting beliefs.

After you have identified your limiting beliefs – defy them. Take your limiting beliefs and turn them upside down. Write down the things you want in life. Put that list somewhere that you’ll see it daily (or multiple times a day). Read the list aloud to yourself daily.

Tell yourself daily that you will achieve your goals. Envision the life you want. The path to success to is not linear and you may stumble a bit on the way. Perseverance will be important along your journey.

Likewise, success does not happen over night. You’ll find success at the intersection of hard work and luck. Most successful people find success because of their actions. The only place you will find success before (hard) work is in the dictionary.

Only once you want success as much breathing will you find it. Some great examples:

Ms. Fiology’s blog is new but has an awesome story. She overcame her battle with addiction and debt and is now on a path to financial independence. I had the pleasure of meeting her CampFI Mid-Atlantic; great person. She did not let limiting beliefs get in her way.

Bill from Wealth Well Done is a true inspiration; my eyes were glued to the screen when I discovered his story. He could’ve easily fallen to limiting beliefs, but he adopted the right mindset. Bill’s ability to overcome limiting beliefs has allowed him to thrive in life and grow a very successful business.

Lisa from Mad Money Monster has a great story as well. She grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, her parents were both high school dropouts, and she a few financial mistakes. Lisa did not let limiting beliefs crush her. Today she is killing it.

Bianca from Miss Mazuma is a great friend of mine. Her story is moving and truly inspirational. Bianca’s journey was a bit of a roller coaster with some serious ups and downs. However, she achieved financial independence and is kicking ass. Limiting beliefs do not hold her back.

What are your limiting beliefs? How have you struggled with limiting beliefs? Did you find a way to overcome your mindset and thrive? Or perhaps just realized you are struggling with limiting beliefs. Are you going to take action and change your mindset, or allow limiting beliefs to keep you trapped in the doldrums of mediocracy?