Know your Limits

Throughout our life we accumulate different parts of ourselves. These labels become our “I am’s”. Very often, some of our most important “I am’s” come from the opinions of other people. Usually these are people that we value greatly in our lives such as parents, teachers, friends, bosses, and coworkers. Their opinions matter to us due to the important roles that they play in our experience. While these beliefs are important in forming identities and giving us a firm sense of self, they can also aide in creating our limiting beliefs.

            We all have limiting beliefs about ourselves. These thoughts are beliefs about ourselves that we hold to be true based on experiences, opinions and past belief systems. Mostly these beliefs really support who we are as humans. They help us to know where we belong and who we belong to. A sense of comfort can exist in knowing these things about ourselves. However, when these beliefs do not align with who we feel that we are at our core they can bring about uncertainties, conflicting beliefs, inner conflict and feelings of resentment. On a more simplistic level, they contribute to feeling unfulfilled with our current state of life. At times these beliefs can be holding us back from embodying our truest, most authentic selves.

            These beliefs can be so engrained in our way of thinking that we do not realize the impact that they have on our self-esteem or interactions with others. In order to change our behaviors and relationships with others, we need to call forward our limiting beliefs and bring them to the forefront of our attention. When we call something forward and cement its existence in language, we are able to then challenge these beliefs to fit who we are in the present moment. We then have the power to mold our beliefs about ourselves to support our authenticity.

            As we begin to challenge our limiting beliefs about ourselves we can then assign them to their rightful owner. Maybe the beliefs you hold to be true about significant relationships in your life belong to your grandmother who struggled with maintaining supportive relationships throughout her life and passed that belief on to you. Perhaps you believe that life is supposed to be hard and challenging because it is a family theme that developed throughout your childhood. As we start to bring awareness to our belief systems, we allow ourselves the opportunity to choose the beliefs that align most with who we are.

            Beginning to think about these beliefs can feel overwhelming. However, I am not talking about your preference for chocolate ice cream versus vanilla ice cream or the fact that you prefer shades of blue over orange hues. You can start by thinking about the beliefs you have about yourself when you think to yourself “I can’t…” and ask yourself why you believe that to be true. A small amount of questioning can bring about new opportunities. It’s all about knowing your limits and shining light on your strengths.

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