Beliefs that hold you back

mapmaker.curtrosengren.com

Are you being held back in your career by limiting beliefs? If the answer is yes, you're in good company. Most of us are, to some degree. This article on beliefs that hold us back lists some of the most common. Do any of these feel familiar?

When it comes to our careers, here are the most common limiting beliefs.

   1. I am not skilled enough.
   2. Hard work is noble.
   3. Fulfilling work is for others, not me.
   4. Fulfillment comes from my personal life, not my work life.
   5. I'm too old to make a major life change.
   6. My family and friends will think I'm crazy.
   7. I'm a fraud – my success is a result of the corporate structure, or my tenure.
   8. The unknown isn't safe.
   9. I'm not sure that I can trust my decisions or choices.
  10. I'm afraid of failing in a new role.

Much to our chagrin, altering those (or other limiting beliefs) isn't typically just a simple matter of changing our minds. They seem to have an all-too-sticky staying  power. Why? 

Beliefs stay with us for three primary reasons:

First, we label them. ("I'm no good at math. My Mom (or Dad) wasn't either.") Labeling beliefs and focusing on where they come from helps us rationalize and make them okay.

Then we engage in selective data gathering. We seek out evidence to support our beliefs and ignore evidence that would support the opposite belief.

Finally, we disguise them – sugar-coat them – to make them more palatable. They become an ego advantage. For example, "I'm not as smart as…" can become "I work harder" – an empowering belief which could aid your career. (Just think of what could happen when you let go of the limiting belief – it makes positive even stronger: you are smart AND you work hard!).

The article goes on to suggest five steps for changing those limiting beliefs for good.

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Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst ^TM

 

Comments

[Rowan Manahan]

Great piece Curt, and so (unfortunately) true. The major stumbling block that I also encounter with clients who are transitioning into a new career path is that they balk at the amount of work involved. Yes, they're unhppy and unfulfilled where they are, but frequently they don't perceive the amount of effort required to make the change as being worth it.

When I do drill-down on this, the root cause is almost always one of the items on the list. I wonder do we, as a species, fear success? Or do we just fear failing so much we'd rather not put 100% effort in - "Ah, I wasn't able to give it my all, so I'm not surprised that I fell a bit short ..."

[Career Changer]

I know a lot of people look at past failures as proof that "nothing ever gets better", but I saw a statistic once about how many times the average smoker tries to quit before being successful. Actually I've seen a different number posted different places, anywhere from 3 times to 15 times. But the point is, previous failure doesn't mean you won't succeed. But you do have to continue to believe success is possible.

[Whitney]

This is where having friends -- those who really understand your wavelengths (the one you're one PLUS the one you're capable of being on PLUS the one you want to be on), can help. Getting stuck in a limiting belief is like getting stuck on a really lousy channel on your cable package. Now and then, we need someone to help us change the channel we’re stuck on (http://www.successful-blog.com/1/change-the-world-tell-a-friend-to-remember-what-they-know/
). We know that the channel our brain is on is pure crap, but we can’t push the Channel Up or Channel Down button to get ourselves off the limiting beliefs.

Talking with a good friend is akin to changing the channel by pressing the numbers (instead of scrolling through sequentially). They jump you into an entirely different way of thinking (kind of like jumping from TV Land to The History Channel).

My friends and I sometimes call or e-mail each other when we're stuck and start off by saying “I know I should have internalized this by now but....” It’s like handing someone else the remote control and saying “Here, you do it…I can't seem to figure this out.”