Are you a limit breaker or maker?
Born into a world where human capabilities have no bounds and every dream can be a sought objective, the only considered main enemy of these unbound expectations is the limitations that are created to life itself. Take note, limitations are only created, not by the world, but by the human mind and the boundaries linked to it.
Many researchers have established and estimated that the human mind is like the vast universe left with various opportunities for exploration, evaluation, and knowledge to be obtained. Although most knowledge regarding the mind and the brain have been gained in the early 19th Century, it has no contribution to the current amount of knowledge we have accounted for the brain/mind knowledge – more than 80% of the previous suspected knowledge have been proven to be incorrect or incomplete. Regarding this, it can be stated that we as human beings are a force of habit to create our own limitations as a result of what we think we know and understand.
Limiting beliefs are a state of mind or belief that one creates by yourself and prevents one from acceding and pursuing one’s dreams or goals. Limiting beliefs can be a powerful source in that it can exceed time – this refers to a false perspective that was created in the past and can be transferred through time into the future, thus jeopardising any possible opportunity that could be presented for you to exceed. Limiting beliefs are one of the main causes for not allowing us as humans to live life fully and to reach our ultimate potential. Which in itself is frustrating due to the contradicting fact that human nature states we strive to evolve, develop, and the need to be better than what we were the previous hours, days weeks etc.
Imagine this: you are confronted with a maze that is placed in your path. As you start out on your journey with the first route in the maze, you have utmost confidence in your abilities to overcome this obstacle placed before you. As time goes by, and many dead ends have been discovered, your motivation and trust in your abilities start to waver, but there is still the drive to persevere and succeed. Eventually, you become used to all the failures and the feeling of being in the maze, that the journey has come to a standstill, and you end up in a comfort zone.
Limiting beliefs on the other hand can be considered as a defence mechanism and a lifesaving technique. How is that possible? As we have established with the maze metaphor, the person has become accustomed to their situation and ended up not looking for a way out to continue with pursuing their goal. The limiting beliefs created a safe zone (comfort zone) to assure the person’s survival. The safe zone implements the natural response to life – flight, fight, or freeze and guarantees the survival of humanity. Without this phenomenon, the society as we know it today would not exist due to the lack of boundaries and limitations created to accommodate for risk detectors.
Although, as mentioned before, limiting beliefs are an impudence for the ultimate reason of mankind’s existence – to grow and reach their ultimate potential and eventually life contentment/satisfaction (the last stage in Erik Erikson’s human development theory). How can this be conquered to assure one reaches life satisfaction?
There are various techniques one can use to face this dilemma whereby all of them starts with the same first step: identify what the limiting belief is and how it has come to existence – what was the first incident or situation that brough this false idea to root in your life?
Once identification is given to any situation/problem/idea or concept, techniques can then easily be identified, accommodated, and implemented. Most used techniques and sought after are:
- NLP techniques – such as timeline healing
- Mindfulness
- CBT – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
- Or normal counselling/therapy
Taking the first step is crucial, as it determines your fate of the future in front of you. You can decide if you want to continue to look from afar, be a bystander, not taking action to move forward – the limit maker. Or decide that you’re going to be a breaker of your movement and decisions, walk through the maze and see yourself as the human you wish/want to be once you reach the other side of the maze? You have the power; it is all up to you on how you use it.
