Last week I confessed that I had been holding on to a limiting belief that was impacting my relationships and confidence, and basically my life. Now I am going to share how to destroy a limiting belief.
A couple weeks ago I went to see Lisa Nichols at her Speak and Write conference. This was my first experience at one of her conferences. It was an interesting mix of business training/ networking and personal development/ therapy. To be honest I was not all that comfortable with the personal development / therapy aspect. You see I did not know much about Lisa Nichols and I was not prepared to be so open about personal stuff. Nevertheless I participated in about 90% of the activities and exercises. Good thing I did because it was one of the last exercises that lead to my breakthrough and learning how to destroy a limiting belief.
So first I have to say we did do this as a group activity but I think it is worth trying with just one other person or even by yourself. Next, let me explain what a limiting belief is. A limiting belief is something that you believe (usually about yourself) that is without basis or fact and causes you to limit yourself because of said belief. Basically it is a harmful lie that you tell yourself. Ok here are the steps to destroy a limiting belief.
Step 1. Identify your limiting belief. It took some of us a minute to figure it out. Here are some common examples: I am not pretty enough to… , I am not smart enough to…., No one likes me because…., I will always be single because…., Things never work out for me because….
Step 2. Convert your limiting belief into a power statement. Make sure your power statement does not contain any negative works like no, never, no one, etc.. You do not want to use negative words because your subconscious will still perceive the statement negatively. Here are some sample power statements I am smart enough to …., People like me, I will find love, Things work out for my benefit.
Step 3. Say your power statement out loud. If you are lucky or brave enough to do this exercise with a partner than share your power statements with each other. Remember to maintain a safe space without judgment or commentary on each other’s power statement.
Step 4. Repeat your power statement over and over out loud. If doing this with a partner say their power statement back to them after they say it.
Step 5. Repeat the power statment at different volumes. Say it loud, shout if you want. Then say it low and whisper it. Match your partner’s volume, shouting when they shout and whispering when they whisper. Do this for several minutes. When you feel like you have had enough, do it a few minutes longer.
Step 6. If doing this with a partner or in a group repeat steps 3 through 5 for each person.
So here is my experience with steps 1 through 6 at the Lisa Nichols conference. My limiting belief was “because I am smart people do not really like me or want to be connected to me”. I converted this to power statement “People like me and want to be connected to me.” There were four people in my group. We all shared our power statements. There was no discussion or judgement toward each other’s statements. We just repeated them back to make sure we understood what we were to say. When it was my turn I said “People like me and want to be connected to me” Then my group said “People like you and want to be connected to you”. I repeated my statement and my group repeated it back to me. I said it loud. They said it loud. I said it with a whisper. They said it with a whisper.
This is a simple exercise but don’t be surprised if you get emotional. Admitting your limiting belief requires you to be vulnerable, open and honest. Even if you are doing the exercise alone. Repeating the power statement can make you feel free or empowered.
Once you have done these steps you have re-written the dialog in your head. You have converted negative self-talk into power statements and self-love. These are the steps I took to destroy a limiting belief that I have had since my teen years.
I hope you will try this an destroy a limiting belief of your own. Please share your power statements in the comments for support and encouragement.
