Are your beliefs limiting your ability to progress your career and reach your goals as a freight broker? It’s normal to have doubts about yourself and your abilities. But when these doubts become limiting beliefs, they can hold you back from reaching your full potential.
You may not know this, but most of us have limiting beliefs that we haven’t even realized are there. The good news is that once you identify them, you can start changing them—and that’s where the real magic happens. It’s time to find out how!
- Identify your limiting beliefs
The first step to overcoming limiting beliefs is to define and identify them. Limiting beliefs are ideas we hold about ourselves and the world that prevent us from becoming the best version of ourselves. They hold us back in a variety of ways, making us feel like we don’t deserve success, that we’re not as good as others and that the world is against us.
You can start by writing down what we think our limiting beliefs are. Some examples might be “I am not good enough” or “I will never get where I want to go in life” or “Everyone else has it easier than me”. Write down as many as you can think of right now—don’t stop until you have at least 20! Then ask yourself: What evidence do I have to support this belief? If the answer is none, then try asking yourself: Is there another way of thinking about this situation? Is there any evidence that contradicts my current belief? If so, what is it?
Once you have identified your limiting beliefs, write down an affirmation for each one (“I am enough”). Say these affirmations out loud every morning before work.
- Take responsibility
The first step to overcoming your limiting beliefs is taking responsibility for your life.
It’s not easy because it requires to take a good, hard look at the choices we’ve made and the ways we’ve reacted to events in our lives. But if you can do that, then you’ll see that there are things that happen to us that are outside our control—but there are also many things we can control.
You can control how we react to events, and you can master our emotions. We can find the lessons in failure and make smarter decisions going forward. We can work toward our goals no matter what!
- Let go of certainty
It’s easy to see why overcoming limiting beliefs can be so difficult. We all crave certainty, and in small doses, it gives us comfort and stability in our lives. However, too much certainty can hold you back from accomplishing your goals. It’s what prevents you from quitting the job you hate, or taking that trip to Africa or writing a novel.
If you want to go big with your life, think about what will make you feel regret when you’re old and gray—that’s a powerful motivator for overcoming limiting beliefs!
- Change your self-talk
Limiting beliefs are stories we tell ourselves about why something can’t be done, shouldn’t be done, or must not be done. They’re often negative self-talk that tells you why you can’t, don’t want to, or must not do something.
Self-talk is constant, and the more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it. Humans have thousands of thoughts per day – perhaps even tens of thousands – and if even a small amount of those involve limiting beliefs, that’s a constant negative narrative running through your head.
Learning how to get rid of limiting beliefs is essential for personal growth and achievement in every area of your life. You are the architect of your life. You are capable of anything. It’s time to stop letting limiting beliefs hold you back.
We all have limiting beliefs—it’s part of being human. And here’s the good news: You don’t have to stay stuck with them. In fact, learning how to identify and change your limiting beliefs can be one of the most empowering things you’ll ever do for yourself.
