Break Free from Limiting Beliefs

Chirantan Joshi
3 min readMay 10, 2022

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Do you always tell yourself you cannot achieve something? Do you discourage yourself from trying the new?

If yes, then subconsciously self-limiting beliefs are stopping you from attaining what you want in life.

All the positivity in the world won’t be of much help if you aren’t willing to break free from the thoughts weighing you down. ‘I will not be able to take on larger responsibilities’, ‘I am not good at marketing’ — Limiting beliefs are thoughts that restrict you from realizing your full potential. It’s like an inner voice telling you can’t do something and becomes a hidden obstacle hindering your growth.

The great news is that limiting beliefs can be unlearned over time. If you’re determined to break free from the shackles of whatever’s holding you back, there’s no stopping you. If you turn back the sands of time, the most successful leaders were those who battled their illusions to tread on a journey of exponential growth and success.

Climbing out of a well of confining thoughts is no overnight process. However, willful unlearning, relearning and a determination to stretch your capabilities can lead you to desired results. Here are simple ways to reprogram your thoughts and overcome your fears:

Thoughts aren’t reality

Your thoughts are not always the truth about you. You need to confront what’s hindering your progress or refraining you from venturing into the new. Pause for a while to reflect on how much truth exists in the statement and trace evidence to prove it false.

Leave the old you behind

Rewind incidents in your childhood or experiences in life that led to the formation of discouraging beliefs. It’s in these moments of awareness you can pause old recurring stories in your head and build a new version of you. Filter out false opinions imprinted in childhood and work through them. Affirm yourself ‘you can’, ‘you will’ to take your power back.

Positive self-talk

Negativity and pessimism can do more harm than you think. It lowers your confidence and morale in the long run and pushes you into a shell. You need to learn the art of blocking debilitating thoughts and counterattacking them with positive ones. If confidence is a limiting factor, then say to yourself I‘ll work on what I don’t feel confident about. Facing your greatest fears and conquering them unleashes a ‘new you’.

Recode your thoughts

Reframe your mindset into empowering you to change the way you think and grow more certain of your abilities. Gradually, you’ll appreciate how encouraging thoughts can uplift the quality of your life. A limiting belief of ‘I can’t speak well’ can be reframed into ‘I’ll learn new words, practice dialogue and take up tutorials online to improve my oration skills.’ This way you’ll be filled with the conviction to talk more assertively.

Your thoughts have an enormous influence on the way you function. Hence never allow limiting beliefs to sabotage your growth.

If you wish to disentangle yourself from discouraging beliefs and live a more fulfilling life, then stay tuned for an enlightening talk by Mr. Dhiren Harchandani (Serial Entrepreneur, Author and Transformation Architect) on 12th May, 2022 organized by CorporateConnections Dubai Chapter. As a business leader, you’ll be oriented to a powerful system to recode your thoughts and master your inner game.

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Chirantan Joshi
Chirantan Joshi

Written by Chirantan Joshi

Chirantan Joshi is the co-founder of the E-Movers group based in Dubai and is an avid proponent of business networking. Corporate Connections UAE is his act.