🌼7 Subconscious Beliefs That Sabotage Your Growth and How to Change Them

🌼7 Subconscious Beliefs That Sabotage Your Growth and How to Change Them

Uncover hidden beliefs and boost the quality of your life.

Success — we all chase it.

But do you ever feel like you are running in circles, trying to achieve your goals still ending up nowhere?

Do you find yourself making the same mistakes, even though you know better?

Well, you’re not alone. Many of us are unknowingly held back by our subconscious beliefs that lurk in the depths of our minds, sabotaging our growth and success.

Read also: 8 remarkable characteristics of highly vibrational people

These hidden barriers operate beneath the surface, influencing your decisions, actions, and ultimately, your outcomes. The good news is once you uncover these limiting beliefs, you can break free from their grip and unleash your true potential.

Here is how:

You Only See the Tip of The Iceberg

Subconscious beliefs are the silent directors of your life. They pull the strings, dictate the script, and set the stage for your every move.

The catch? You’re not even aware of their presence most of the time. They operate stealthily in the background, shaping your reality without your consent.

Think of your subconscious as an iceberg.

The tip of the iceberg represents your conscious mind — the part of you aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. The massive submerged portion beneath the waterline represents your subconscious mind, which holds the power to sink or float your ship.

While your conscious mind is familiar to you, your unconscious remains a mystery.

Freud used the analogy to describe the levels of the mind.

Your subconscious absorbs and stores everything. It forms your beliefs, starting from childhood. These beliefs stem from experiences, observations, and messages we receive from family, society, and the media. Traumatic and powerful negative emotions are often suppressed in the subconscious mind.

What’s fascinating is that the beliefs in your subconscious often don’t align with those in your conscious mind, making it difficult to shape your life as you desire.

Subconscious beliefs serve as shortcuts for your brain, helping you navigate life’s complexities. However, these shortcuts can sometimes lead you down the wrong path, sabotaging your growth and happiness.

Silent Saboteurs

Here are the most common limiting beliefs that sabotage our success.

I’m Not Good Enough.

This belief is like a relentless critic whispering in your ear that you’re not smart, capable, or worthy of success. It undermines your self-esteem and makes you feel like an imposter when you achieve something significant.

I Don’t Deserve Happiness.

You believe happiness is reserved for others, not for you. It keeps you in a cycle of self-sabotage, making you settle for less in life and avoid pursuing what truly makes you happy.

Change Is Scary.

This belief anchors you in your comfort zone, warning you that change is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. You resist new opportunities and cling to the familiar. And comfort zone feels nice, but it offers no growth. This belief makes you dread failure to the extent that you avoid taking risks or trying new things.

Money Is the Root of All Evil.

Many people unconsciously associate money with filth and immoral behaviour. You feel guilty for desiring wealth, and it keeps you from making smart financial decisions. It leads to financial self-sabotage or missing out on new opportunities.

I’m Unlucky.

This belief convinces you that you’re a magnet for misfortune. You expect the worst in every situation and miss out on the positive possibilities that life has to offer.

I Can’t Trust Anyone.

This belief acts as a wall, stopping you from making close bonds and trusting people. It gets in the way of building meaningful relationships.

Success Is for Others.

This belief convinces you that success is something other people achieve, not you. It keeps you from setting ambitious goals and working towards them.

Recognize Your Limiting Beliefs

How can you uncover the hidden beliefs that sabotage your progress?

It starts with self-awareness. Here are some telltale signs that a subconscious belief might be holding you back:

Recurring Patterns. Notice if you keep finding yourself in the same situations, making the same mistakes, ending relationships in the same way, or facing similar challenges. Self-knowledge is empowering.

Self-Sabotage. Sometimes we become our worst enemies, sabotaging our success and happiness. Notice when you procrastinate, shy away from opportunities, or even undermine your relationships. These are clues that there might be something lurking beneath the surface.

Negative Self-Talk. Limiting beliefs manifest as negative self-talk or inner criticism. Pay attention to your inner dialogue. Are you often criticizing yourself, doubting your abilities, or harbouring feelings of unworthiness?

Limiting Beliefs. Identify any beliefs that begin with “I can’t,” “I shouldn’t,” or “I’m not.” These are indicators of subconscious limitations. Observe your thoughts throughout one day — you’ll be amazed at what you discover.

Emotional Responses. Emotions are powerful windows into our subconscious beliefs. Pay attention to your strong emotional reactions to specific situations or triggers. These emotional responses reflect what’s going on beneath the surface.

Once you’ve identified a potential subconscious belief, examine it from all angles. Ask yourself probing questions like:

– Where did this belief come from? Did it originate from childhood experiences, societal conditioning, or a specific trauma?

– Is this belief based on facts, or is it a distortion of reality?

– How does this belief impact my life, decisions, and overall well-being?

– How would my life be different if I let go of this belief?

Stay curious. Keep an open mind. Become aware of the little habits you perform on autopilot. They are the treasure trove of information about your subconscious beliefs.

Rewrite the Script

Now that you’ve uncovered your subconscious beliefs, it’s time to rewrite the script. Here’s how you can begin to change these beliefs and set yourself on a new trajectory:

Start by questioning the validity of your beliefs. Are they based on facts, or are they assumptions, generalizations, or stereotypes?

Meditate on the idea that your beliefs may not be accurate.

Positive Affirmations.

Once you’ve identified and challenged your limiting beliefs, replace them with empowering ones. For example, replace:

“I’m not good enough” ➡️ “I am constantly growing and improving.”

“I’m not worthy” ➡️ “I deserve success and happiness.”

Positive affirmations reshape your thought patterns and foster a success-driven mindset. By repeating positive affirmations, you create new pathways in your brain. This rewiring weakens the connections of limiting beliefs and strengthen positive and empowering thoughts.

Affirmations changed my life.

Repeat them daily to reprogram your subconscious mind. Remember, consistency and repetition are key.

Visualization.

Your subconscious mind cannot distinguish between real experiences and imagined ones. When you consistently imagine positive outcomes, your subconscious mind starts to accept them as reality.

Create vivid mental images of desired outcomes or situations. Visualization is powerful because it taps into the emotional aspect of your beliefs. When you visualize success, happiness, or confidence, you evoke positive emotions reinforcing new beliefs.

The legendary Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, is known for his meticulous use of visualization as part of his training. He would mentally rehearse his races, visualizing every stroke, turn, and finish, which contributed to his record-breaking success.

Conor McGregor, the UFC fighter, has talked about using visualization to prepare for his fights. Before entering the octagon, he would visualize the entire fight, from the entrance to the knockout.

Visualize yourself living your life with new beliefs. Imagine the positive outcomes and how they will transform your reality.

Read also: 6 things that make life effortless

Act “as if”.

Acting “as if” means behaving and making choices as if you already possess the desired qualities.

By acting as if you already have the desired outcome, you act in alignment with your goals. Over time, these behaviors become habits, reinforcing a new self-image and belief system.

Clearly define the qualities, beliefs, or outcomes you want to achieve. Be specific about what success looks like to you.

Identify individuals who already exhibit the qualities or beliefs you aspire to have. Study their behaviors and attitudes to gain insights.

Ask yourself: How would I act in this situation if I were confident/ wealthy/ healthy?

Begin to behave and make choices in alignment with your desired outcome. Take on new challenges, adopt new habits, or change your responses to people.

Changing deeply ingrained beliefs takes time. Be patient with yourself and stay persistent in your efforts. The subconscious mind is like a resilient rubber band; it will eventually stretch to accommodate your new beliefs.

Contributed by Katarzyna Portka

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