Is Your Life Limited by Your Beliefs?
by Kinga Lewandowska
Very often, when there’s a new scientific discovery, we find ourselves surprised. We would have never thought that this novel concept was possible, let alone achievable. The same goes for pretty much every domain in life: sports, business, technology, or art––there is so much we have yet to explore.
Whether we realize it or not, the boundaries of our reality expand every single day, not because the universe decides to grow but because humankind continually does. We build our lives according to what we accept as true. Therefore, we have the power to bend our reality to our own liking and there is only one obstacle standing in our way: our beliefs.
Where Do They Come From?
Beliefs tend to be stiff. Once formed, it might be hard to modify them, especially because they like to develop in our formative years. The longer we hold on to them, the more they calcify in our bones, ingrain in our nature, and grow like vine around our hearts. If we live in an environment that shares or even enforces our beliefs, it gradually becomes harder to step out of our head and challenge what’s in it.
“Some of our most pivotal beliefs are forged during significant emotional experiences—many of which happen in childhood. The more heightened and penetrating the emotions, the more likely it is that they’ll shape our lives”, writes Marie Forleo, author and entrepreneur, in her book Everything Is Figureoutable.
We learn about the world from our family members, friends, teachers and guardians, and, sometimes, from strangers on social media. Therefore, our earliest beliefs are hand-me-down opinions of others. And, if life confirms those for us in the form of our own experiences, our minds and hearts have all the evidence they need to deem those beliefs true and set them in stone. Take heed, negative generational cycles may narrow down your life to what you cannot do, rather than what is really possible to achieve.
“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” ― Anaïs Nin
Forgive Yourself
It would be hard to blame a 5-year-old for believing in Santa Clause. Based on our very early assumptions, childhood knowledge, and reassurance from adults whom we trust, we have no reason to believe that the white-bearded man bearing gifts every Christmas does not exist. And yet, at some point, we inevitably learn the truth.
Part of identifying and releasing limiting beliefs is forgiving yourself for what you did or said under their influence. You might have made some decisions based on what you thought was true at the time. It is impossible to modify the past but we certainly can create our future. Our beliefs change and we change with them, then we change and our beliefs change with us. Accept what was, embrace the version of you that did not know better, and self-love yourself into a new you with an updated belief system.
“All beliefs are a choice and choices can be changed.” – Marie Forleo
This Is Sorcery
Our beliefs, influenced by how much we’ve been encouraged to dream throughout our lives, either help us grow or block our view. That said, too often we are convinced we know something only because that’s how it’s always been done, or that’s what we were taught (i.e. conditioned to accept as true) at school.
The key to releasing our limiting beliefs is pure sorcery, aka imagination. What we can accomplish is dictated by what we can conjure up in our mind’s eye first. It’s a superpower of which we should take advantage regularly. Take your money mindset for instance. Will you ask for a raise at work if you have a hard time picturing yourself in a higher position? Will you start a business if you think of wealth as a synonym for greed?
Without envisioning and dreaming, how do we know what we want? If we deem imagination a fantasy for children, we automatically limit our life to a vapid lump moldable by the status quo. It’s hard to have tunnel vision on a foggy concept. Keep imagining your future in great detail and you’ll give your dreams a chance to crystalize before your eyes.
“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” ― Maya Angelou
Dealing Your Own Cards
What we picture in our minds is what we tell ourselves to be true. Whenever we jump into the anything-is-possible world of reverie, we unlock an opportunity to redefine a belief that has not served us well. Imagination works in mysterious ways and you can spark it, for example, by reading books, traveling, or painting. Today we wish to remind you about the power of another vision-boosting activity: affirmations.
It is possible to reaffirm the level of certainty within you that will help you reach for the stars and realign them the way you want. If you are willing to challenge your beliefs with a contradictory positive statement, you can alter your perception and rewire your brain. Your true potential might be greater than you think but you will only reach it if you believe that you can.
To help you get started, we recently created Mindful Affirmations, a deck of 54 cards that will help you alter your thought patterns and bring your attention to what you can have rather than what you lack. This self-care ritual will redefine any harmful beliefs you may still hold on to by rewriting the narrative in your mind and refocusing it on positive messages, open doors, and possibilities.
Here are a few examples of our affirmations:
I am on the right path and I trust that things are moving in my favor.
I attract people who help me on my journey.
Today, I will take one step in the right direction.
As I breathe slowly and deeply, I feel more relaxed and energized.
I love my life. I love everything and everyone in it.
Take a few mindful minutes, breathe in these powerful words, feel the warmth of new possibilities spread in your body. You are the master of your fate, it is time to take the reins and release whatever restrains your life.
Catch and Release
Our brains love to play the game called confirmation bias, which means they actively look for evidence to reinforce what we already believe. But beliefs are a choice and we can choose wisely. We can choose better. Leave the old patterns behind. Bid them farewell and release them to whence they came. Be curious about possibilities, take a leap from time to time to test the limits of your reality, and do what you must, not what you should. Beliefs fuel our decisions and decisions design our circumstances. Believe in a grandiose design and you’ll create a life with no limits.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't―you're right.” ― Henry Ford