Limiting Beliefs List and How to Get Over Them
To make our limiting beliefs list easier to navigate, here are some links:
Limiting Beliefs List
Limiting Beliefs about Belonging
- No one likes me
- I never fit in
- I’ll always be alone
- There must be something wrong with me, that’s why no one likes me
- I’m a burden on others
- No one ever listens to me
- I need people to like me
- No one will accept the real me
- Love must be earned
- I need other people’s approval
- I’m not funny
- I’m not fun to be around
- I’m hopeless
- I’m always making mistakes
- I wish I could be more like him/her, people always like them
Limiting Beliefs about Money
- Money doesn’t grow on trees
- The rich get richer and the poor get poorer
- I should be happy with what I have
- That costs too much
- Money is bad
- Money is not that important
- I’m just not good with money
- I wasn’t born rich, so I’ll never have enough money
- You have to exchange happiness for making money
- If you make a lot of money you don’t have time for your family
- People who want a lot of money are selfish
- Money is the root of all evil
- I have to work really hard (too hard) if I want to make a lot of money
- I have no control over my financial future
- Money can’t buy happiness
- It’s not right to be rich when other people don’t have enough
- It takes money to make money
- I’d have more money if the economy was better
- To be wealthy, you have to take a lot of risks
- People who have money got there by stepping on others
- Money is hard to earn
- Money demands sacrifice
- I can’t afford it
- You can’t get everything you want
Limiting Beliefs about Work
- I’ll never make a living doing what I love
- People don’t value the work I do
- As an artist, I have to be struggling to really do good work
- I’m not talented
- I don’t have skills anyone wants
- I’m not a team player
- I’m not good enough
- Companies are always trying to take advantage of their workers
- I shouldn’t ask for a promotion, I don’t deserve it
- No one wants to hire me
- I don’t do well under pressure
- I don’t have enough experience to apply for that position
- I can’t handle big responsibility
- Everyone else gets the chance to do what they love, but not me
- I’ll never find the right job
- I always have the worst bosses
- My supervisor is horrible
- Everyone expects too much of me
- I never get the appreciation I deserve
- Life isn’t fair
- My co-workers don’t like me
Don’t forget, you are not alone, everyone is struggling…
All of us struggle with these thoughts and beliefs, that’s what makes us human.
One of the first things to keep in mind is that the limiting beliefs list above has shadows of what psychologists would call the reptilian brain. That instinct deep inside of our evolution that is always fearing the worst.
A long time ago, when humans were still finding their place on the food chain – there was always a chance that we could get eaten or attacked. Death was almost always lurking around the corner, so we were always on guard, forced to always be ready.
For example, thoughts like “I’ll never find the right job” is all about fear of the future. The fear of not being able to put food on the table or to fit into a group. A long time ago fitting in and working together with others was a key to survival. Strength in numbers helped us to overcome great odds and find more stability in life.
*Want help finding a job, check out some of the links we put up on our article Good and Bad Things About Technology
One Strategy that Really Works to Fight Against Negative Thoughts
A long time ago, I had a discussion with a truly interesting and charismatic man named Eric. He had his share of adventures, had a great family, and built and sold a successful company. All before the age of 45 years old!
Speaking with Eric, I couldn’t imagine that he ever had any troubles or challenges because he had achieved so much and was so at ease as we spoke.
But, I was wrong!
He was human, he had moments in life where he felt totally lost, where he doubted himself and times when people tried to push him down. However, his way of dealing with these negative thoughts was really interesting, and it’s a technique I use every day now.
It’s extremely simple…
Think of what someone who you deeply respect, and who loves and supports you would say!
Instead of letting that negative voice in your head take over, “put” someone else in there that you know will give you better advice!
For example, when Eric was faced with the limiting belief of work. His own thoughts kept leading him back to the phrase, “I’m not good enough.” Inside of his own head, he just couldn’t escape that phrase coming back over and over again.
So Eric thought of someone who he knows valued him, his Grandmother. He thought of her smile, her face, and her voice when she would always tell him, “You’re great, you’re such a smart boy, I love you so much.”
He made sure that he stopped getting himself down, he put someone else in place that would help lift his spirits and who was ready to replace his limiting beliefs with empowering beliefs about self-worth and work.
I Need Your Help!!
Do you have something that you think we should add to our limiting beliefs list? Or do you have a great technique to fight away those negative thoughts?
Share your ideas in the comments below to help us make this an even better resource for people.
I think it is important to be aware of what our limiting believes are. But I think is also important to be aware that there are “clear” limiting believes and “disguised” limiting believes.
On this article we have read about about clear limiting believes. DISGUISED limiting believes are those believes we have accepted to believe do not exist. For example, we could say that in the United States, most people are convinced slavery was abolished decades ago, and it is not a problem anymore. In the past, as a nation, we noticed slavery was not an acceptable practice and decided to make some changes to abolish it. However, the goal of such changes did not seem to be the complete abolishing of slavery. The implemented changes made it look like slavery was being abolished, but allowed for a different, disguised way of slavery to be possible. Today, “modern” slavery is a very common practice, even within the United States; otherwise, how can we explain the legality of some states’ minimum wage. Many US citizens seem to be working in exchange for bread and water, living under a roof they do not own, and being stressed with the constant reminder of not being able to afford access to medical care. In the Unites Sates, most of us are convinced slavery does not exist; and yet, some of us face an everyday battle to fight against a modern type of slavery, that is noting but a limiting reality. And this is only a local example. But, we should also not forget about other, more sinister types of modern slavery, emerging from the way our economy is ran. Sweatshops and ecological genocides in underdeveloped countries, that ensure the success of global consumerism… how can we pretend that is not a type of slavery?
There are many disguised believes we have accepted to ignore. These believes are limiting both at the individual and community levels. It will be almost impossible for our global communities to fully thrive if we continue on the same path.
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