How to Clear Limiting Beliefs: Get curious (2/3)
Becoming aware of a newly uncovered limiting belief can be a strange feeling, a mixture of emotions including surprise “where did that come from?”, judgement “that’s a bit stupid, why do I feel like that?” and embarrasment “oh my God, that is so obvious why didn’t I see it before?”
Once a newly found limiting belief has entered your awareness, it’s important to be present to the type of energy you are giving to it. Stay out of judgement, shame and approach it with wonder and curiosity. This is why step 2 of the 3 step plan is to get curious. Read part one here.
Since “what we resist persists” it’s important not to enter into any form of arguement, justification or rationalisation with your limiting beliefs. Doing this will give it more power over your life. The benefits to approaching it with curiosity and wonder are that the energy around it is kept light and you are able to be the observer rather than being carried away by your emotions. Also, practically all of the limiting belief’s power comes from being unconscious and undetected but now you’re onto it.
Some of the beliefs you uncover may feel so familiar and core to your being because you have had them so long, however these beliefs are not you. We protect and justify our limits with comments like “it’s just the way I am”, but it’s simply not true, it’s what you have unconsciously allowed up until now - there’s a big difference.
Whenever my clients (or I) uncover a newly found limiting belief I get them to get curious about it and really flesh it out. Expanding the belief to a character really beds in the fact that it is not a part of you. Giving it it’s own identity separates the belief from you and allows you to draw closer to who you truly are on a soul level.
Exercise
Use the following questions to get curious and get to know more about your limiting beliefs:
- Think about your limiting belief and the type of negative self-talk it causes you to have. What is the self-talk? (Speak it/write it in the 1st person)
- Imagine this belief with all it’s commentary was a person, animal or thing, what would it be? (Go with the 1st thing that comes into your head)
- What does it look like?
- What’s his/her/it’s name?
- What has been a positive benefit of listening to it over the years? What has it been keeping you safe from?
- What has it cost you?
- Where could this limited being’s skills be better utilised than in holding you back? What role in life is it suited to?
- Mentally send it there.
- What’s available to you without it?
- What positive belief has it been obscuring?
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Have you had enough of struggling through life?
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If you’re ready to release your limits and soar, see here for more information.
In love, light and abundance x x x
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Lorraine Cohen:
Great questions to explore looking at beliefs and styaing in curiosity. For me an important key is remembering that so many beliefs I have taken on have been unconsciously indoctrinated rather than consciously chosen. Once realized, I can choose to keep that belief, modify it or replace it completely. It’s all part of the journey!
Here’s to discovery!
Blessings,
Lorraine
Posted on August 1st, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Matt @ Face Your Fork:
I really tried to understand ‘limiting beliefs’ but it all sound so… wishy-washy to me.
Like, what -exactly- is a limiting belief, at its core? How do you get a limiting belief in the first place? Are limited beliefs truly as immobile as you say, or are there different degrees of how “bad” they are? Can they be replaced? Do they ever work consciously? Can one belief take the place of another when the first belief becomes unusable, similar to what a “self-handicap” is in psychology?
Limiting beliefs sound more like an excuse built into memory than an actual ‘problem’ to be solved with deep thought and lofty questions.
Posted on August 1st, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Andrea Hess|Empowered Soul:
Excellent article! All beliefs served us at one time or another, even if they are now limiting. Getting curious as to what benefits they may have offered us is a HUGE step towards self-acceptance and, eventually, release of the belief.
Blessings,
Andrea
Posted on August 4th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Lola:
@Lorraine
I totally agree and it sounds like you are reinforcing playing with your beliefs and holding them lightly. Being all heavy about it and hard on yourself makes them hang around for longer.
@Matt
It sounds as though you are attached to hearing something rational or logical about limited beliefs which would give you your “wishy-washy” interpretation. We run our lives by a series of beliefs and the only thing that makes me call them limited beliefs is because they limit our lives experience.
Beliefs are not immobile, they’re kind of like a computer programming language, they can be tweaked, overridden, deleted etc. The issue is most people do not recognise that limited beliefs are present in their lives let alone the cause of their struggle.
I will write a post based on your questions because I’m sure others have similar questions to you.
@Andrea
Amen! It’s such an important step to go into the belief on so many levels.
In love, light and abundance x x x
Posted on August 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm