Self limiting beliefs are the things we think are true about ourselves & the world that hold us back in some way from who we truly are or wish to be. For us creative, empathic souls, challenging limiting beliefs is one of the most essential pieces of mindset work we all must do to live our fullest most delighted, empowered lives.
Beliefs are personal, and the specific self limiting beliefs we each struggle with will be unique to us, our own experiences, conditioning, background and internal world. That said, there are some common root beliefs that many of us grapple with including these 5.
1. “I am not enough”
Belief about our sense of worth is by far one of the most common self-limiting beliefs creative souls face, especially as we’ve been raised and conditioned by a capatilistic society that values our ability to do do do above else. For many of us, we’ve equated our productivity and achievements with our sense of value.
The feeling of not being enough can limit many of us because it pushes us to strive and prove our worth rather than pursuing what feels good and right for us at our own pace. Pushing and proving through the feeling of not enoughness is one of the ways many of us burn out (myself included).
“I am not enough” is personally my deepest rooted limiting belief I have had to work through and still face. It’s actually what I believe to be one of my greatest “life lessons” because it’s one I’ve had to learn again and again (an important part of healing).
This self-limiting belief can be a sneaky one too, because it breeds perfectionism which actually results in inaction or not going after what we truly desire.
2. I can’t do it
Belief about our ability is another extremely common limiting belief many live with. What did you grow up hearing about your ability to do or create whatever you desire?
Perhaps you were raised to go for a ‘reliable’ career path in the corporate world when you’ve always wanted to be an artist – that may manifest in you not believing it’s even possible for you to take an unconventional route.
What do you believe about your capabilities? It’s never too late to take a new pathway, learn a new skill or embrace a new way of living. What within you makes you think you specifically cannot?
Sometimes, exploring at this soul level can allow you to ‘poke holes’ in the legitimacy of the self-limiting belief. Especially if you can identify where that belief originates so you realize it was never yours to hold so you can release and rewire it.
3. I’m not loveable
This one won’t likely manifest in that direct phrase “I’m not loveable” but in more tricky ways, like settling for less than we deserve or not putting ourselves out there to meet the people who will love us unconditionally.
If you’re struggling with feeling unloveable, cultivating deep self-recognition and love is an important first step. I recommend exploring these resources on self-love:
25 Motivational Self Love Quotes
Worthiness: Boosting Your Self Esteem + Sense of Self Worth
4. It’s too late/ I’m too old
Similar to our sense of self belief in what’s possible for our skillset, is the belief that it’s ‘too late’ or you’re ‘too old’ to do something. As long as your lungs are breathing and your heart is beating it’s not too late.
Life is unpredictable and fleeting which is why it’s never too late to sieze the opportunities that are meant for you.
If you feel like it’s “too late” or you’re “too late” consider these incredible artists who attained ‘success’ or followed their dreams ‘later’ in life:
- Martha Stewart didn’t publish her first book until she was 41 years old.
- Vera Wang didn’t design a wedding dress until her own at age 40
- Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species at age 50
- Laura Ingles Wilder didn’t start writing “Little House on the Prarie” until age 65
- Stan Lee didn’t create his first super hero until his 40s
- Lousie Hay started Hay House books at age 62
These are just a few of the many people who discover their passion and calling ‘later’ than some may expect, or who made the change to pursue what they always desired ‘later in life.’ If they can, why can’t you?
5. I’m not creative
I say this with deep empathy for whatever you may have experienced that allowed you to believe this, but I genuinely do not believe that anyone is “not creative.” We’re all creative.
The thing is that many people equate “creative” with “artistic” and think that they have to be creative in the conventional ways we think of automatically like arts, crafts, music, etc.
But to be alive is to be creative.
Creativity has so many forms – it can be in the way you solve problems, the way you think, the way you invent solutions, the way you parent your children, the way you lead, the way you manage your team.
“If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
Overcoming self-limiting beliefs
The first step to overcoming a self-limiting belief is to raise the awareness to even know what you believe. You simply cannot change something that you’re unaware of. So just by being here, reading this article, and considering your own self-limiting beliefs means you’re already taking action towards overcoming them.
We need to be able to stare the limiting belief right in the face to recognize that it’s actually actively disempowering us so we can change it.
Once you can put a name to your own self limiting belief(s):
- Evaluate what holding onto that belief is ‘costing’ you: for example, if you continually overwork to prove your worth some of the costs of maintaining that belief could be: Continuing to feel low and anxious, working more hours than necessary just to feel ‘productive, and aiming to please and satisfy others, rather than focusing on what makes you feel good
- Consider if it’s really worth holding onto that belief: continuing the example above, releasing the belief that your productivity is the marker of your worth could allow you to reduce your anxiety, cultivate self-trust and discover more of what makes you happy.
- Replace the old outdated belief with a new empowering one: our brains don’t readily let deep rooted beliefs go! We need to replace that limiting belief with a more empowering affirmation to tell ourselves and feed the mind with something more empowering
Ready to tackle & conquer your limting beliefs once and for all? Explore 1-1 coaching!
Work through self-limiting beliefs with JOURNALING
This guided (printable) digital journal filled with 70 growth mindset prompts is the perfect way to work through the self-limiting beliefs holding you back.
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