Have you ever had that moment when you say something with very little purpose, just part of a story, and all of a sudden it hits you…a hidden limiting belief you have and when you got it? Something you had no idea you ever believed, you never consciously thought about it, but when you heard yourself speaking you realized that slippery little bugger had embedded itself without you ever knowing?
Geez…that just happened to me the other day and I’m, frankly, still a bit surprised. I had no idea this was sitting quietly in my subconscious, but now it makes perfect sense.
Let me tell you what happened, and you tell me if it sounds familiar.
I was headed to the store the other day with my oldest. It was a spur of the moment trip and we were enjoying the chance to visit without anyone else around. Just catching up on our lives, what was going on, what was coming up. Nothing unusual.
Anyway, I was telling her a story about something, I don’t even remember the higher level context of our conversation.
I was chatting away and I recounted a conversation I had had when I was probably 11 or 12. “I said I wanted to be a lawyer or a teacher. She said I should be a teacher, they make more money. I told her I didn’t want to make a ton of money, I wanted to help people.”
Do you see that? Do you see what happened there?
Yeah, I was shocked. Over 30 years later, in a conversation about who knows what, up bubbles the origin of a limiting belief I didn’t even know I had!
Damn!
It hit me like a ton of bricks when I heard myself say it. And you know what’s funny? The person who said this was in no way saying I had to choose between doing good and doing well. That was not her intention at all.
She simply was throwing one viewpoint out there, and was probably just trying to be funny. So a simple joke with a pre-teen installed a limiting belief that has lasted for over 30 years. Until it was uncovered.
And the funniest part? I’ve done a LOT of work around my own beliefs. I mean a LOT.
But I didn’t uncover that belief until I was hanging out with my daughter, having a mellow conversation about who knows what.
You see, beliefs are funny things. They incorporate themselves into your beings so stealthly (is that even a word?) you often don’t even recognize they are there. They don’t always have labels, they don’t raise their hands when you ask. They simply serve as a guiding knowledge by which you function and make decisions.
And the kicker in this whole thing? Our minds are experts at making us right. So, even if we aren’t sure what the belief is, we subconsciously make choices that will support the belief.
Fun, right? Yeah, it’s quite the cycle.
And it’s fixable.
Working with limiting beliefs is insanely effective in changing your life. Discovering what your limiting beliefs are, then doing some work to bust through them, can and will forever change the way you show up in your own life.
Whatever your limiting belief is about, it can be changed. It can be fast, doesn’t hurt, and is incredibly effective.
You can explore these with a coach, in trainings, or you can check out the online store. A fantastic resource for you is called Changing Beliefs by Steve & Connirae Andreas. In it they will share how, and walk you through, using submodalities to change your limiting beliefs.
And as a side note, notice the example they share with you. Notice how similar it is to the belief I recently realized I was carrying around. It’s interesting how many limiting beliefs are common among many of us.
I’d love to hear what kind of beliefs you’ve been surprised to find you have! Drop me a line or leave a comment below to share.