Fear was my limiting thoughts that led me to postpone my career dream. What if I’m not successful and have given up my stable, well-paying job for an uncertain life as an entrepreneur? With the help of coaching, I managed to reshape my limiting thoughts.
What are limiting thoughts?
Limiting thoughts are negative, restrictive thoughts or convictions you hold about yourself or your capabilities.
They are often irrational and not based on reality. They commonly appear when making career choices, hindering both your career and personal growth. That’s why it’s crucial to address them in the context of this blog!
How do limiting thoughts appear?
They can originate from various reasons and are often the result of personal experiences, upbringing, social influences, and internal psychological processes.
In my case, my thoughts originated from upbringing; it was rooted in me that I should be independent and financially self-sufficient.
How do you recognize limiting thoughts?
There are various signs and situations that may indicate you have limiting thoughts. Here are five examples:
- Fear of Change: If you often resist new opportunities, projects, or career changes because you believe you can’t handle them or fear failure, it may suggest limiting beliefs about your own capabilities.
- Perfectionism: Constantly being hard on yourself and never being satisfied with your own performance can be a sign of limiting thoughts telling you that everything must be perfect.
- Excessive self-criticism: If you consistently criticize yourself and engage in negative self-talk, such as “I’m worthless” or “I can’t do it,” these could be signs of limiting thoughts about your own worth and abilities.
- Avoidance of Challenges: Repeatedly avoiding challenges or opportunities because you think you can’t handle them or fear failure may indicate that you have limiting thoughts about your own competence.
- Lack of Self-confidence: Experiencing a lack of self-confidence in professional situations, such as meetings, presentations, or networking events, could be an indication of limiting beliefs that are holding you back in your career.
It is important to be aware of these signals and to try to identify the underlying limiting beliefs. A career coach can also be invaluable in helping to discover and address these beliefs, enabling you to work towards overcoming the constraints they may impose on your career.
Tips to overcome your limiting thoughts:
- Awareness: The first and most crucial step is awareness. Achieve this through journaling, tracking negative thoughts, and noting the situations in which they arise.
- Explore the origin: Question where these thoughts might stem from, such as early life experiences, upbringing, or feedback from others.
- Challenge your thoughts: Ask yourself, for instance, “What are the factual proofs for this thought?” or “Have I ever proven this thought to be incorrect?”
- Reframe thoughts: Encourage yourself to shift limiting thoughts into more positive, supportive beliefs. Recognize negative thoughts and replace them with constructive alternatives. For example, from “I can’t do this” to “I can learn how to do this.”
- Use daily positive affirmations: for instance:
- “I’m not smart enough to get this job.” Positive affirmation: “I am intelligent and learn quickly. I am fully capable of successfully fulfilling this job.”
- “I always make mistakes and will never be successful.” Positive affirmation: “Mistakes are learning opportunities and chances to grow. I am constantly learning and progressing toward more success.”
- “People won’t take my ideas seriously.” Positive affirmation: “My ideas are valuable and deserve to be heard. I have the ability to inspire and persuade others.”
- Self-compassion: Understand that everyone makes mistakes and faces challenges. Self-compassion can help reduce negative self-criticism.
- Action orientated: Take action and develop concrete, small steps toward your career goals, even if you feel uncertain. Celebrate successes, no matter how small they may seem!
Turning around limiting thoughts can be a process that requires time and dedication, but it can bring about significant positive changes in your career.
Take a moment to reflect on yourself, what are your limiting thoughts that could hinder your next career step?
Are you interested in having a conversation about this? Feel welcome to request a free Career Development Conversation. Happy to help you.
Ps. Have you already downloaded my free E-book “how to discover what I truly want with my career?”
