As a creative entrepreneur, you’re constantly changing and evolving and the goals you set even 2 months ago may not align with who you are now.
When you’re looking for transformation and growth, it all starts with mindset. This is the cornerstone to everything in my life, so much so that I consistently invest in coaches, courses, resources and support in order to keep moving forward.
The first thing I tackle whenever I work with a coach or a new client are their limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs are to a positive mindset as the snooze button is to a productive morning. Sure, it’s way more comfortable to just hit the button and roll over back into your old, comfortable ways of thinking, but your growth will be severely stunted.
Simply defined, a limiting belief is a thought that you hold to be true about yourself, about others, or about the world that limits you in some way.
Limiting beliefs are the enemy of a healthy mindset and often rear their ugly heads when you’re trying to make positive changes in your life. Limiting beliefs often shows up as an inability to follow through or a fear to take action and hold countless women back from pursuing their goals and living their best lives.
Some common limiting beliefs I’ve heard:
- If I am successful, I won’t have time to spend with the people I love
- Taking care of myself means I am being selfish
- I am not smart/disciplined/skilled enough to be an XYZ
- If I change the way I eat to be healthier, my family and friends might think I am judging them
- If I say no to people, they will hate me and I will miss opportunities
So how do you actually push through those beliefs and get your mind right so that you can get to where you want to be?
Here are three of my favorite mindset hacks for overcoming limiting beliefs.
3 Mindset Hacks for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
Mindset Hack #1: Affirmations
Affirmations are a powerful tool to train your mind to focus on the positive and where you want to go instead of where you are or where you’ve been.
You can write down positive affirmations and say them to yourself out loud if possible. Your brain processes words differently when they are spoken (instead of just thought).
Because of my faith, I like to use Scripture for affirmations such as :
God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
Or you can write down an affirmation that comes directly against your limiting belief and say that aloud.
Using one of the examples above, you might craft an affirmation like this about self-care:
By taking care of myself, I am stronger and more able to serve others
Try it out right now! Grab a piece of paper and a pen and start writing!
(Need more inspiration? Click here for a list of 35 powerful affirmations you can use to boost your mindset in a pinch.)
Mindest Hack #2 – Focus on the ‘Why’ before the ‘How’ and the ‘What’
Okay so sometimes when you’re overwhelmed with a goal that you’ve set whether it’s a weight loss or health goal, a promotion or business milestone, the limiting belief shows up as a ton of fear and anxiety about how on earth you’re going to get something done.
My clients are often focused on the WHAT (I wanna lose 10 lbs) and the HOW (I need to be better about my diet) but completely forget about WHY.
Knowing your why is what will continually anchor you when things start to become difficult.
That is what will keep you motivated and help you push through any mental blocks or walls of resistance that pop up along the way.
Because once you know WHY you’re doing something, it puts things in perspective. The how and the what are always flexible if you think about it and you can always take a different route, try something different.
But knowing why will always get you to where you want to go eventually because when that is firm in your mind, you won’t give up.
Some questions to ask yourself to figure out your big ‘why’—
What makes this goal so important to you?
What will the positive outcomes be if you achieve this?
What will happen if you don’t?
Why is NOW the time?
Own your why!
Mindset Hack #3 – Act As If
This mindset hack has completely changed the way I approach life, business, work, relationships etc.
When you think about what you want to achieve— with your wellness, your business, your career or relationships— are you, as you are right now, the woman who you picture having that lifestyle?
What’s different about the you who has achieved your goals?
What does her morning routine look like?
How does she carry herself?
How does the speak to herself and to others?
“Acting As IF” is a behavioural approach to overcoming your limiting beliefs. Even if you don’t “feel” different yet, act as if you are.
Start doing the things that your healthier, more confident and more balanced self would be doing.
When you think about your pesky limiting belief, think about all the things you would do differently and how you would live your life if you believed the opposite of that thing!
When you begin to act as if, your mind may not be there but you will start to see the positive effect of your new habits and behaviours.
Eventually, you’ll prove yourself wrong about those beliefs.
If you’ve been struggling to make progress on your goals, I encourage you to identify any limiting belief you may have that’s holding you back.
Try one of these three mindset hacks to help you overcome your limiting beliefs!
Working on mindset is such an important part of getting healthy and balanced in any area of your life and it is my passion to help you amazing ladies be the best you can be. Stay balanced AND successful with The Busy Woman’s Guide to Avoiding Burnout. Grab it FREE here!
Originally published at www.livingwholebalance.com