The other day, I chatted with someone who believes she can’t get copywriting work until she’s been published in places like Forbes or Inc.
I admit to giggling because I was NEVER published in ANY big-name publications before I landed my first freelance writing job. I still haven’t – under my name. So, what is the difference between this lovely lady and me?
I WASN’T HELD BACK BY THE BELIEF I HAD TO BE.
Maybe it was just a hint of ignorance that I ‘needed’ to be published in a big-name publication when I started. Regardless, because I didn’t have the belief I couldn’t land writing work without first being published in some significant publication, I wasn’t held back from going for what I wanted. And what I wanted was to get paid for writing.
Your beliefs are the only thing standing between you and what you want.
It’s not a lack of money, skill, education or experience that is keeping you from making things happen for yourself. Flat out, it’s your beliefs holding you back.
You see, when we get allow those little monkeys inside our head control, they tell us all sorts of evil things like we aren’t good enough, or we don’t know what we’re doing, or that we can’t have something because we have done x, y or z first. As a result, we allow these false beliefs to become our truth, and we use them to find whatever excuse we need to keep us from doing whatever it is that we genuinely want to do.
People who aren’t held back by their beliefs find ways to make things happen. Yes, it might not happen overnight. And you might fail A LOT along the way before you find the solution. BUT if you believe you can do it and you let nothing stand in your way – you will find a way to make it happen.
How Do You Stop Your Beliefs From Holding You Back?
All I needed to be a paid writer was to take action and prove I could write. The majority of people, companies, and brands don’t give a crap if you’ve worked in big named, known places. They want someone who can solve their problems and help them achieve their goals. If you are that person, then that is ALL that matters. And it’s that way for anything in life.
So, ask yourself:
Do you know how to solve their problems and help them?
Or do you know how to do whatever it is that you want to do?
If the answer is yes, then you have all you need. Go for it and make it happen.
If you answered no, then ask yourself, ‘why is your answer was no?‘
The answer to this question is the key to figuring out what belief you are holding that is standing in your way and then taking action.
Are Any of Your Beliefs Even Legitimate?
Yes – in a sense. Maybe you don’t have the right experience or education to do something. But here’s the thing – these aren’t things that can hold you back unless you allow them to because it’s possible to get these things. Yes, they might slow you down on how quickly you achieve your goals, but they aren’t permanent roadblocks.
So, are any of your beliefs real? I bet you just immediately shook your head yes – of course, your beliefs are real. After all, you wouldn’t be who you are without them, right?
It’s sorta right.
Your beliefs do help form you into who you are. Therefore they are real because you believe they are real. And as long as you think of them, they will shape whatever action you decide to take in life. I hope you caught the caveat in all that and realized the truth:
Your beliefs are 100% changeable.
So, Are Your Beliefs Real?
Yes, your beliefs are real because you believe them. As a result, your beliefs can either become an empowering force or a limiting belief in life, which makes them ‘real’ in any sense.
BUT because your beliefs are made up of all the things you intake from around you throughout life, you can change them and form new ideas. Because in reality, your belief system is just a bunch of opinions you’ve developed based on:
- experiences
- feelings
- emotions
- fears
- education
- programming
- people
- information
Quite literally anyone, anything, and everything you’ve come into contact in your life. The list is endless. Simply put, your beliefs are your programming – the things that make you tick – all tainted by your life experiences and conclusions about those experiences. Which is why it’s good news that your beliefs are 100% changeable.
Anything you believe today, right this second, can change just by changing the way you think about it.
Well If You Can Change Your Beliefs Why Do You Allow Them to Hold You Back?
Because you’re afraid. Your fear of the unknown, success, rejection, loss, or failure, keep you running scared of taking the action needed to make things happen.
Fear is normal and okay because it helps keep you safe. But it can also keep us stuck because our brains are still actually quite primal. It doesn’t take much to trip the crocodile part of our brain that functions merely to keep us safe. And safety means sticking with what we know, even if it isn’t the best thing. Because what we know is safer than what we don’t know.
As a result of that fear, we make up excuses as to why we can’t do something. And we let these excuses drive us until we are either forced to make a change or we consciously decide to stop letting things stand in the way of getting what we want.
It’s always easier to get the less threatening things in life. Have you ever noticed that you always seem to find the money to pay for Netflix or buy your favorite coffee drink at Starbucks, but you never have the money to pay that class you want to take or take that big trip you’ve been thinking about for years? Hell, it’s even easier to pay for the broken down car than to go for something you’ve been dreaming about.
In truth, you indeed are the only thing standing in your way.
If you really want something, you WILL make it happen once you realize the truth of it and stop letting your limiting beliefs stand in the way of making your goals and dreams happen.
So, the question now is:
When are you going to stop letting your beliefs stand in your way?
The lady we started this article with only has to change her belief that she doesn’t need to be published in a big-name publication to be a paid freelance writer, and she will become one. Yes, she’ll have to prove herself with samples of her work, but that’s the easy part.
Changing your beliefs isn’t always easy. But the truth remains, regardless of how many times you try and fail – if you keep trying, you will succeed. And if you don’t, what’s the worst thing that could happen?
One, you’re always left wondering. Or two, the absolute worst thing that you could imagine did happen. Or you end up somewhere in the middle. Regardless, things in the end probably won’t look exactly as you pictured them because you changed your beliefs along the way.
So, what’s your next move? Is it time to let go of a belief or stay the same, right where you are?