6 Limiting Beliefs, And How They Harm Us On A Daily Basis
Much of what we do, think and feel on a daily basis has less to do with supposed preferences, the place where we live or the way in which others relate to us, but rather with something much more subtle: our deepest beliefs.
And no matter how much some continue to believe in something similar to objectivity, the truth is that all people see life through glasses made up of ideas that have been with us for a long time and that, even if we do not pay attention, increase our propensity to think in one way and not another.
Therefore, having beliefs is irremediable, it is something that we cannot avoid. This, of course, is not bad, since it is impossible for all our knowledge to be based on objective and unquestionable truths; We need beliefs to have some clear ideas and not be constantly doubting. However, When limiting beliefs appear, problems begin. Let’s see what they consist of.
Sometimes our convictions can be our worst enemies, and limiting beliefs are an example of this.
Is about ideas deeply rooted in our way of thinking that, instead of allowing us to quickly reach conclusions that are normally correct, make us fall again and again into the same errors, normally based on staying within the comfort zone and preventing us from exposing ourselves to new routes of thought that would allow us develop ourselves as people.
Ultimately, these ideas make us more prone not only to making mistakes, but also to not being able to recognize the signs that the way we are thinking does not fit well with reality.
6 cases of limiting beliefs
Of course, the range of limiting beliefs is very wide, so it is best to understand their scope and how they can damage our lives is to see very common examples of these. Below you can see several of them.
1. If many people believe the same thing, it must be true
It is one of the most common limiting beliefs, and in practice it can lead us to trust practically any type of idea, no matter how crazy it may be, especially at a time when there are so many people living on the planet who Every absurd idea has a good number of followers.
For example, according to this limiting belief, one can “defend” the idea that each person’s race determines their level of intelligence, or that it is necessary to wear expensive clothes to please others. Anyone who thinks this way is not taking into account that history shows the extent to which it is possible for hundreds of thousands of people to be fundamentally wrong about reality.
2. If others reproach me for something, I must be guilty
It is very common for people with a certain amount of insecurity to believe that, when others get angry with them for something or are disappointed because they have not done an action, there always has to be a valid reason to justify that feeling.
It is true that many times anger and disappointment are real and manifest as authentic through the other person’s actions, but that does not mean that they have a reason. Many times, the lack of assertiveness and the tendency to say yes to everything makes others demand more things than the rest and, even without realizing it, apply other moral standards to those who do not know how to defend their point of view. But this is precisely one more reason why it is good to distrust their point of view instead of just taking it for granted.
The myth of the better half is one of the limiting beliefs that can be most harmful, since It leads us to think that we are incomplete people until we find someone special. But the truth is that there is no reason why we should think that our happiness or ability to adapt to the world depends on whether or not we meet someone who statistically should not even live on our continent.
It is a belief that is only sustained if we assume that there is someone who has already mapped out in advance all the stages through which our life will go, making the world a kind of “theater stage” in which there is a series of events. elements conveniently placed especially for us.
4. Seeing things is better than doing things
This idea is so absurd that in fact it is part of one of Homer Simpson’s famous and humorous quotes, that is, it is used as part of the caricature of his character. However, there are many real people who believe in it wholeheartedly.
Limiting beliefs based on passivity and sedentary lifestyle They are responsible for a good part of the experiences that we miss on a daily basis, since they offer us stability and absence of reasons to worry in exchange for leading monotonous and predictable lives in which each day is similar to the previous one. Furthermore, there is no possibility of living the same experience by seeing it or doing it: there are things that, if we do not do them, are not lived at all. Leaving the comfort zone is essential to break the cycle of beliefs that confirm themselves due to the lack of new stimuli.
5. Sacrificing yourself for others always pays off
Every day shows that betting everything to please others does not have to help us obtain something in return, beyond the fact that the rest get used to us assisting them. This is one of the limiting beliefs that produces the most frustration, since the sacrifices we have made in the past to satisfy others they make us continue to fervently believe that we are on the right path no matter what happens, so we don’t have to face the idea that we have been trying for nothing. This is a phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance.
6. I am not talented enough to do something
The media, as well as the marketing bubbles through which the images of the most famous people reach us, they make us have an unreal idea about what talent is. In the vast majority of cases it is not an aptitude that one is born with, but rather it basically depends on the practice and the effort that is put behind it.
It is clear that there are individual differences and that certain people have more facilities than others for reasons beyond each person’s control, such as genetics, but this is only relevant in relative terms, if what we want is to be in the world ranking. of some discipline. If not, it is most likely that the set of skills we were born with are more than enough to develop incredible talent; Yes, if we have previously demonstrated that we have the necessary willpower to do so.
