Six Ways To Stop Letting Limiting Beliefs Take Up Space In Your Brain
You can think about and read about crushing your limiting beliefs for as long as you want without taking action.
When you’re done with thinking, and you’re ready to start DOING, read on for six action steps you can take to start getting rid of your limiting beliefs.
1. Identify your limiting beliefs.
Create a list of your limiting beliefs, and choose just one. If making a list feels scary, it’s okay to just start with identifying one limiting belief.
What is holding you back from success?
What would you like to change?
2. Acknowledge your fears.
Get a sheet of paper or your journal and make a list of all the bad things that will happen if you start challenging what you think you know to be true about that belief.
For example, if you’re afraid to ask for a raise, write that down.
Make a list of all the bad things that could happen if you try to ask for a raise.
Are you afraid that your boss will dismiss the idea? Are you worried that you’ll get fired for asking for more money? Do you think asking for a raise makes you ‘ungrateful’ for the pay you have? Do you fear that they will realize they don’t need you or that you’ll hear that you suck at your job?
These are all super icky feelings, and I know it sucks to sit with them. But write them down so you can address them intentionally.
3. Challenge your fears.
A couple of years ago, I went to the ACT-W National conference (Advancing the Careers of Tech Women) and met an amazing human being who delivered a very engaging and funny lightning talk about fear.
Jia Jiang said that he feared rejection, but one day, he decided that he was done letting that fear rule him. He decided that he wasn’t going to listen to the voice of his fear anymore. He set out on a pretty crazy journey that he called 100 Days of Rejection.
Each day, he would make some kind of request that he was totally sure would be rejected. Some examples include asking to borrow a hundred dollars from a stranger, requesting a dance with a waitress, and sitting in a police officer’s car.
These activities might sound silly, and some of them really were. But the practice taught Jia that he could overcome his fear of rejection. You can do the same thing.
You CAN challenge and overcome your fears.
4. Come up with just one action.
This one is pretty easy — come up with one thing you can do to challenge just one of your limiting beliefs.
If you fear putting yourself out there to make new friends, maybe the one thing you can do is attend a networking event and intentionally connect with one person.
Are you afraid of launching your services or being a freelancer? Reach out to a few of your LinkedIn connections and ask if they could use a freelancer’s services — or if they know someone who does!
It’s important to actively take small steps to re-train your mind about the possibilities and consequences of achieving your desires.
Instead of falling back into the old belief that “rejection is the worst thing ever,” you’ll soon find that not only can you handle rejection, but that you have a lot to offer!
5. Enlist the support of a friend.
If you know a friend that is dealing with their own limiting beliefs, you can both be even more successful if you work together. Here’s how:
Each of you should pick one limiting belief that you’d like to let go of.
Schedule weekly check-in calls to ask each other about your progress and any challenges you’ve faced. These can be just a couple of minutes any time that works for both of you.
Try this for just a month, and then reassess where you are. Want to keep going? Awesome! Feeling like you’ve knocked it out of the park? Pick a new one to focus on!
Don’t think that you have to overcome all of your limiting beliefs in a day or two. It takes time and conscious effort to let go of beliefs you’ve held for so long. Be patient, give yourself grace and keep a positive attitude during this process.
You can do this.
6. Keep it top of mind.
Here’s a daily affirmation you can write down and put on the wall to remind yourself of how you’re improving and letting go of what’s holding you back:
Every day I consciously free myself a little more from limiting beliefs.
I’m Maigen Thomas and I’m on a mission to empower 1,000 early-career designers and other digital technologists with the skills and tools they need to increase their socio-economic status.
I’m the Founder of Level 11 Technology, an Apprenticeship Agency. I bring 10+ years of experience in enterprise software SaaS product design and a background in full-stack development to her UX and Gamification Design Consulting. I taught 3 cohorts of the UX/UI Design Bootcamp at UC Berkeley and wrote the $1m flagship UX/UI Design curriculum. Follow me on LinkedIn or join the MaigenUX Patreon for exclusive access to quests (with cash prizes!), professional mentorship and motivation, and Accessibility and Usability learning content.
