What to Know About Limiting Beliefs for Personal and Professional Growth

Starting this blog has sparked many great discussions that I likely wouldn’t have engaged in otherwise. I’m so grateful to all of you that have shared your feedback and made requests for future topics for both prompt journals and blog posts! Last week, I discussed having a growth mindset and overwhelmingly, my conversations over the past several days have centered on limiting beliefs. Many people were vulnerable and shared that although they put a lot of effort into the social-emotional development of children, they’ve never considered how limiting beliefs may be showing up for themselves. 

In the journey of personal and professional growth, our beliefs about ourselves often create the boundaries of our potential whether we can see it or not. These beliefs, whether empowering or limiting, have a profound impact on our career advancement, self-care practices, and overall well-being. Limiting beliefs can manifest as doubts, fears, or insecurities that hinder our progress and prevent us from reaching our full potential. However, by identifying and challenging these beliefs, we can transform our minds and our worlds in ways that may now seem unimaginable. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of limiting beliefs in professional development and self-care and discuss how journaling can be a powerful tool in this process.

Understanding Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are deeply ingrained thoughts  about ourselves and the world around us that hold us back from realizing our true potential. They are so deeply ingrained that, as I mentioned in last week’s post, they may appear to be unquestionable facts. 

In the realm of professional development, these beliefs often manifest as self-doubt, imposter syndrome, or a fear of failure. They can lead us to underestimate our abilities, shy away from challenges, or settle for mediocrity instead of striving for excellence. 

These are examples of what limiting beliefs about your job or career might sound like:

“I’m not leadership material.”

“I’ve reached the ceiling for development and pay so this is as far as I can go here.”

“I don’t have the education or experience required to advance or move into a different career.”

“There will always be someone more qualified than me for promotions.”

In the realm of self-care, limiting beliefs may manifest as feelings of unworthiness, guilt for prioritizing personal needs, or the belief that self-care is selfish or indulgent. These beliefs can result in neglecting our physical, emotional, and mental well-being, ultimately leading to burnout and diminished productivity.

These are examples of what limiting beliefs in your personal life might sound like: 

“I never have time for the things I want to do.”

“I don’t have the discipline to stick to a workout routine.”

“Saving money and building wealth is impossible.”

“All the good men/women are taken.”

“I can’t have my own hobbies because I have kids.”

Using Journaling to Identify and Work Through Limiting Beliefs

Journaling provides a safe and effective outlet for exploring our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs in a structured manner. By consistently engaging in reflective journaling practices, we can uncover the underlying beliefs that may be holding us back and gain valuable insights into their origins and impact on our lives.

Here’s how you can use journaling to identify and work through limiting beliefs:

1. Self-Reflection: Set aside time to journal about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences related to your professional development and self-care. Choose a time, place and frequency that feels comfortable to you. This should feel like a release, not like a chore. As you write, pay attention to recurring patterns or themes that emerge, as they may indicate underlying limiting beliefs. When I first began journaling, I would set a timer for 5 minutes and document my stream of consciousness in that time. I literally wrote down whatever thoughts I had, even when they were “I don’t know what I should be writing about.” Trust me, more insightful stuff will follow! 

2. Questioning Assumptions: Challenge the validity of your beliefs by asking yourself probing questions such as:

   – What evidence supports this belief?

   – Is this belief based on past experiences or assumptions?

   – How does this belief serve or hinder my growth and well-being?

3. Alternative Perspectives: Explore alternative viewpoints or reframes that challenge your limiting beliefs and offer a more empowering perspective. Consider how you would advise a friend or colleague facing similar beliefs and apply that wisdom to your own situation. I have mentioned a couple of times now in this blog that some limiting beliefs are things that we have come to see as facts of life. That is because they have been reinforced by our families, friends, society, and our own past experiences. Many of them may be frustrating, painful and really hard to challenge or picture any alternative perspectives for at this time. Last week I shared that I know that I harbor limiting beliefs that I’m not ready to challenge yet and this is exactly why! It will take a lot of inner work, honesty with myself and courage to make a different choice to be out of my comfort zone to overcome them. I will challenge them all eventually, but it is important to pace ourselves and work intentionally at one thing at a time. 

4. Affirmations and Visualization: I know the  terms “affirmations” and “visualizations” are off-putting to some people because they seem “woo woo” in nature. If you don’t like those words you can just think of these as reminders to stay on the path of your goals. You can incorporate them into your journaling practice to reinforce new, empowering beliefs and envision yourself succeeding in your professional endeavors and prioritizing self-care. There are some that I also like to say silently to myself at critical or stressful moments. When working through limiting beliefs that may be particularly challenging, it could be helpful to start small with affirmations that are not a huge stretch for you to believe and work your way to more assertive statements. 

These are examples of what affirmations might sound like:

“It is okay to take a break from my responsibilities to have fun.”

“I am making progress and getting stronger every day.”

“In this conversation, my main responsibility is to listen intently, not to solve all problems.”

“Money flows to me easily and constantly.” 

“I view the world with an open mind.”

“Listening to perspectives that are different from my own will help me grow and develop.”

Benefits of Being Aware of Limiting Beliefs

Becoming aware of our limiting beliefs is the first step towards transcending them and unlocking our full potential. By cultivating self-awareness through journaling, we can experience the following benefits:

1. Increased Resilience: Recognizing and challenging limiting beliefs builds grit, enabling us to overcome setbacks and persevere in the face of challenges.

2. Enhanced Self-Confidence: Replacing limiting beliefs with empowering beliefs fosters greater self-confidence, empowering us to take bold actions and pursue our goals with conviction.

3. Improved Well-Being: By dismantling beliefs that undermine our self-worth and neglect our self-care, we can cultivate a deeper sense of fulfillment, balance, and well-being in our personal and professional lives.

4. Accelerated Growth: When we are free from the ties of limiting beliefs, we are more able to explore new opportunities, embrace challenges, and pursue growth with a sense of optimism and curiosity.

Conclusion

Limiting beliefs can be significant barriers on the path to professional development and self-care, but they do not need to be experienced as permanent blocks. I am no expert on limiting beliefs. What I have shared here are the conclusions I’ve come to through my own experiences with reflection, therapy sessions, journaling and the challenges I have overcome. Listening to podcasts and talking to family and friends have also been pivotal contributors to my growth and healing over the years.  I’d love to keep the conversation going with you as well! Please share your ideas in the comments below!