Surely this micro series of posts will help you to modify certain mental habits. We talk about 4 strategies to break limiting beliefs. The first one is to reinterpret.
On many occasions we are subjected to a constant flow of negative internal dialogue that tells us: “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not going to make it” or “Everyone judges me”.
These self-limiting beliefs become anchors that hinder your potential and your state of happiness. But can we do anything about it? Possibly yes.
Strategy to break limiting beliefs: Reinterpret
Let’s look at an interesting dynamic. Let’s analyze some internal dialogues that may run through our mind, as an example.
Dialog 1: You perceive that you are constantly checking messages and feel pressure to respond immediately. You might think, “I have to respond to everyone right away or they will be disappointed.”
Dialogue 2: You avoid public speaking because of anxiety and think, “Everyone will judge me and think I’m clueless.”
Dialogue 3: After making a mistake, you beat yourself up and think, “I always screw up. I’m not good at this.
How many times has this happened to you, and do you identify with it? Now comes the important part. There is something true and that is that these types of thoughts, although powerful, are just thoughts.
Being aware of this is the key and, from there, we can begin to reinterpret these dialogues.
For example, we could transform the dialogues into something like this:
Dialog 1: “I have to respond to everyone right away or they will be disappointed.” Reinterpret by: “I have the idea that I have to be available right away to avoid negative judgments. But this might not be so.”
Dialogue 2: “Everyone will judge me and think I’m clueless.” Reinterpret for: “This fear is the certainty that performance equals self-esteem, and that’s not true. People might be more understanding than I imagine.”
Dialogue 3: “I always screw up. I’m not good at this. Reinterpret for: “The inner critic is telling a harsh story about my identity based on one incident. Mistakes are learning opportunities, not permanent labels.”
In the next post we will talk about another strategy for breaking limiting beliefs, which is to give back.
Photo credit: PX
