Rhiannon Rees
Have you ever wanted to drive a Lamborghini? Imagine the speed, the ease of handling, the wind through your hair. The car embodies class and thrills to the max.
Compare that to being on a skateboard, moving under your own steam. It takes effort, only goes fast in short bursts, is unpredictable and not great on handling. You’re exposed, dependent on the terrain and battered by weather conditions.
Which would you rather drive?
Let’s call the Lamborghini your conscious mind and the skateboard a part of your subconscious. One is powerful, present and has you arriving in style; the other is slow and clunky and maybe gets you there in the end.
Which one is driving you?
Self-Limiting Beliefs?
Self-limiting beliefs drive us. The beliefs stored in our subconscious minds were often created when we were children. We took most of them from our parents and other adults who were influential in our lives. Once formed, these beliefs are stored, rarely questioned and all but forgotten—yet they provide the compass we live by as adults. Every time something in our life matches the subconscious belief we hold, that belief is further confirmed.
The trouble with being guided by these unquestioned beliefs is that, while they may have served a purpose when they were created and may have even kept us safe when we were younger, many of them are outdated and over-simplified. Some are downright wrong. They’re not the kind of beliefs we need as a driving force in our adult lives.
These hidden beliefs are numerous. Some common ones related to money tell us:
• Money doesn’t grow on trees
• You must work hard for every dollar
• Rich people are mean
• Money is evil
• Money can’t buy happiness
With firmly held beliefs like these the richness, or desire for riches, turns stagnant.
Our self-limiting beliefs become our reality. They influence our identity and, in turn, our future. Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Exactly. It is our thoughts that create our reality.
What if you could harness techniques that enable you to transform your self-limiting beliefs? What if you could reach into your subconscious mind to explore and effectively change the beliefs stored there?
You can. In quantum physics the simple act of observing a particle has been demonstrated to actively affect its behavior. The results of various experiments show us the potential power we have over our environment when we take on the role of observer. If we turn the light of observation on ourselves and delve into our subconscious minds, we can look closely at the beliefs we created long ago and see how they now run our lives.
Meditation can help us to reach that place of observation by allowing us access to deeper levels of consciousness. Other mindfulness techniques such as visualization, deep breathing and paying attention to how we react in situations can also work. As soon as we bring our beliefs into conscious awareness, they begin to change. Once conscious, they can be explored, and when they’re unhelpful, then new, more useful beliefs can be planted in their place.
And then there’s the voice chattering away inside our heads. That voice can harangue us, undermine us and bring us down—or it can support and sustain us. Much of what it tells us is colored by the beliefs we laid down in childhood. When we stand back and watch this self-talk, we can learn a lot about which beliefs support us and which do us harm. The next step is to shift the language we use, both in our thoughts and our speech. For example, we can:
• Exchange “I should” with “I choose to”
• Shift “I can’t” into “I’m learning to”
• “I don’t sleep well” shifts to “I have a restful sleep every night”
• “I know it won’t work” can become “I make it work”
• Instead of “I never know what to do,” try “I can ask for help”
• Rather than saying “I need to keep my feelings to myself,” say “It’s okay for me to be open with my feelings”
• Change “I’m always broke” with “I’m expansively abundant” or “Money comes to me easily and effortlessly”
Compared to those old limiting beliefs above, how much more powerfully would the new beliefs support you? But money and abundance aren’t the only areas to focus on. Don’t forget to look at your beliefs around self-worth and receiving as well. In order to succeed, we need to be open to receiving success and to believing ourselves worthy. Do your beliefs build your power, or are they limiting it in any way?
Daily affirmations can help you set your new beliefs in place. By choosing your words thoughtfully and forming them into phrases that accurately reflect beliefs that will better serve you and help you reach your life goals, you can actively create the life you want.
The trick is to become aware of what is working and what’s not working in your life, then harness techniques to access your subconscious mind and conquer self-limiting beliefs. That’s the first step in moving from debt to abundance, shifting from being overlooked to being valued for your skills, or changing a flailing business into one that pulls in the profits.
Is your subconscious mind getting your attention now?
Would you prefer to get where you’re going on the subconscious skateboard of limiting beliefs? Or would you rather cruise your road to success in the ever-cool Lamborghini?
The choice is yours.
Rhiannon Rees is a human behavior expert and international high-performance coach helping clients redefine their level of success. An Australian native, Rhiannon is a best-selling author, thriving entrepreneur and a global speaker.
Forbes
