ISSUE 991 - August 2024

I have a confession to make. My limiting beliefs have constrained my potential for much of my life. 

Have you ever heard the story about the elephant and the rope? A rope is tethered to a young elephant's leg to keep her from running away. The rope is strong enough when she is young to hold her. She still believes the rope will hold her as she grows, even though the elephant is mighty and could easily pull away. Her limiting belief keeps her from trying her strength. 

Do you have any limiting beliefs that hold you back and keep you from trying? We all have them. It's just a matter of how much we give in to them. 

Here are some examples of limiting beliefs:

• I can't do (math, art, sports, or anything else you believe you can't do).
• I'll never be (skinny, pretty, wealthy, successful, or anything else you believe you'll never be).
• I'm not smart enough. I'm not creative enough. I'm not brave enough. 
• I'm too old, I'm too young, I'm too much. 

You get the idea.

Although I have several, my most prominent limiting belief is that whatever I create must be perfect. I'm afraid to make a mistake. 

I deal with my limiting beliefs by identifying and acknowledging them, questioning their validity, gathering evidence that they are not true, reframing my thinking around my limiting beliefs, and finding strategies to get over my bad self.

I'll show you what I mean. Let's take my issue with perfectionism. 

First, I acknowledge the belief that whatever I create has to be perfect before I show it to anyone. This belief stems from my fear of making mistakes, which might result in embarrassment or shame. It is a deep-rooted belief that started in my childhood. Although I acknowledge all this, does it make it go away? No. 

So, I now have to question the validity of my belief. I ask myself if it is true that what I create has to be perfect. In case you are wondering, my answer is no. Again, does it stop me from believing it? No. 

I dig deeper. I acknowledge how stifling this belief is to my creativity and productivity. Throughout my life, it has stopped me before I even started. How sad is that? 

It's time to reframe my thinking around this belief. For example, I heard someone say that done is better than perfect. That rang true for me. Getting tasks done is much more important than having them be perfect, especially when your business depends on it. I remind myself that there is no "perfect" and that doing my best is the highest achievement I need to reach. I'm tired of stopping myself because of my fear, and I remind myself that my idea of perfect will not be someone else's vision of perfect. It's the idea, the message, or the outcome that matters. Whew, I talk to myself a lot. 

Perfectionism is an ongoing battle, and I wish I could tell you I have overcome it. I have not. However, I have changed my mindset to the point where I don't stop before I start; I get things done to the best of my abilities, and I will release my work into the world even if I don't think it's perfect. Ha! (I won't lie; it hurts a little bit).