Opinions of Saturday, 10 February 2024

Columnist: Abundant Robert K. Awolugutu

How limiting beliefs block success

File photo File photo

You don’t manifest what you want, you manifest what you believe - Oprah Winfrey

We all want achievement and the goodies life can deliver. However, some of us have unknowingly allowed our self-limiting beliefs to hinder our progress towards this goal.

If you have issues with wealth, health, finances, relationships, and career, limiting beliefs are present. This is what may be preventing you from manifesting your desired life.

Your desire to live out your dream and achieve your goals will remain a pipe dream if limiting beliefs plague your life. If you are to reach your full potential in life and achieve success, then you need to uncover these success blocks and eliminate them once and for all.

To know what is blocking your success, get an understanding of how your conscious mind and subconscious mind work. Your conscious mind is your thoughts, responsible for narrating everything that is happening in your life. Your self-talk comes from the place of your thoughts. The meaning you give to your self-talk will make you feel the way you do.

Your negative self-talk will make you feel worried, anxiety, anger, and frustration. But it is within your power to change this narrative to a positive one.

The subconscious mind, according to Dr. Sonia Rikotti,” is what’s controlling the success in all areas of your life. If the subconscious mind has a belief which contradicts the conscious mind, the subconscious mind will always win and take over.”

Here is an example to drive home the point: I want to be a professionally trained lawyer. But it takes grit, tenacity, and long years of training to become one, it’s not worth the trouble. It’s not worth the trouble is a limiting belief. Since it’s not worth it, you will not take the steps you need to take to become a trained lawyer.

Our beliefs determine what we can do and what we cannot do. In the words of success icon, Dr Sonia Rikotti, “Our beliefs drive our behavior and our behavior affects our results.”

Our beliefs are embedded in our subconscious mind. This fact is not known to a lot of people. They live with them and allow these limiting beliefs to sabotage their efforts and hinder goal accomplishment.

Our beliefs were formed during our childhood years. In some cases, adults cannot be left out. We give different interpretations of our experiences, events, and situations occurring in our lives.

Our beliefs were mostly based on the negative experiences, events, and situations that have happened in our lives. For example negative remarks and comments against us from parents, teachers, and peers.

Negative things that have happened to us, disappointment, rejection, hurt, and when things did not unfold the way desired. It may also come from the wrong interpretation we gave to events, ideas, and situations. A negative self-talk can also be the basis for beliefs.

We have seen how our beliefs drive our behavior and how our behavior affects our results. If there is any area of your life that is not working and giving the desired results, there is an underlying negative belief. You can improve this area and make it effective by forming new and empowering positive beliefs.

Write your new beliefs and hang them in the hallway or in a place you can see every day. These new beliefs can be in the form of affirmations. By repeating them daily, they will eventually sink into your subconscious mind to work in your favor and bring results.

Change your negative self-talk to a positive one. Speak success into your life and the lives of the people around you.

Successful people think differently. They have different beliefs. They have a success mindset.

Your mindset is the canvas upon which the picture of your life is painted. They believe what they want can be achieved. They leave no space in their minds for the silent saboteurs known as limiting beliefs. They believe without any shadow of a doubt their goals are within reach and achievable.

To overcome your limiting beliefs, be with people in similar situations. When you see others overcoming their limitations and breaking through their limiting beliefs, it will inspire and motivate you to take action to transform yourself and improve your situation.

To conclude my thoughts, here is a quote from Dr. Laurie Buchanan that resonates with my journey: “Empowering beliefs are ideas that launch us forward and help us to become the person we want to be. Empowering beliefs are freeing, encouraging, and inclusive; they nurture and uplift. When we find ourselves harboring a limiting belief, we need to replace it with one that cultivates joy.”

Enjoy the read!
Yours in inspiration,
Abundant Robert K. Awolugutu
WOLUGUTU, Writer, and author
DEP. DIR. OF PRISONS (Rtd)