How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs: Apply RADSI!
Updated: Apr 11
Have you ever been told that you could never do something? Maybe your parents, teachers, or peers said that. These words can hurt, and they can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Limiting beliefs are the thoughts we tell ourselves about our capabilities and how these influence what we do in life. We often don't realize it, but these limiting beliefs create a negative spiral of events that make us feel bad about who we are and what we're capable of accomplishing in life. In this blog post, I'll show you how to overcome limiting beliefs with one simple method: RADSI
Recognize it
One way that limiting beliefs can get in our way is if we don't recognize them. If we know we have a limiting belief, we can take steps to overcome it and turn it into an empowering belief.
For example, if someone says "You're too slow," "too shy," or "not smart enough," and you start living your life based on these beliefs because you believe them, then they become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you start to fall into the trap of believing these thoughts, the things that happen to you will reinforce this idea that you're not too fast, or too confident, or not intelligent. The more evidence that comes in that supports this idea, the harder it becomes to break.
Attack it
Attack it by contradicting it. Think of positive events that contradict the limiting belief and people who complimented you for doing something good with your life.
Recognize and attack your limiting beliefs. Turn them into empowering, motivating thoughts that will help you become who you want to be in life!
There is a quote by Voltaire that says: "To the living we owe respect, but to the dead, we owe only truth." We cannot change the past, so it's time for us to stop blaming ourselves or others (who aren't even here) for our current situation.
Describe it
It is hard to do anything because of the belief that I am not good enough. Why you had that thought?
It is not always easy to understand why you think something, but if you can figure that out, then it will be easier for you to change your thought patterns. If you are having trouble, then it is often helpful to write your thoughts down.
It may be that someone or something in your life has said, "you can't do this" and so now, anytime you try anything new, you have a limiting belief of being not good enough. This thought pattern will keep repeating until you change the way you think about yourself. You might need help from someone who understands how these things work so they can guide you through changing what goes on inside your head.
Jotting down thoughts as they come up seems like an easy thing, but sometimes we don't realize how negative our thinking really is until we see all of those thoughts written out in front of us...if only I could get rid of them!
Stop it
Stop a limiting belief in its tracks. When you start to believe that there are only so many things that you can achieve, then this is probably because of some limited thinking or negative self-talk.
It sounds odd, but sometimes people get the opposite results when they expect them! If someone believes he will do well on his exam, even though he hasn't studied at all, he might just ace it by accident due to good luck.
On the other hand, if someone expects him or herself not to perform very well during their job interview and subconsciously puts himself down for being less than qualified, then maybe he'll be rejected since his body language also conveys defeat.
This isn't always true as every situation needs careful consideration, but the point is that there are many limiting beliefs out there and you can choose to stop those that are not serving you at all.
Investigate it
We can investigate our limiting beliefs by finding out where they come from.
Try to figure out the earliest time that you remember having this belief and then work backward in your life, looking for any experiences or memories that may have contributed to it.
You might also want to ask yourself how much of what you think is actually true - do these thoughts serve you? If not, why are you holding on so tightly? Find evidence both inside and outside of yourself that proves otherwise. It's all about balance!
It might be helpful if someone else reads through your list with you because sometimes we're just too close to see things clearly anymore. Sometimes when I look back at my old journals, I cringe at some of the ridiculous ideas I used to have about myself.
How it works
To begin, write down the thought that you are worried might be a limiting belief
Next, ask yourself why this is true for you and list all of your evidence underneath - even if it's completely ridiculous or untrue! It can help to look back at old journals too.
Afterward, imagine what would happen if you didn't believe this anymore - how would life change? What kind of person will you become without these beliefs holding you back? You may need to break some bad habits or create new ones to achieve the changes that mean the most for your happiness. Again find outside examples from real people who've done something similar.
The final step is to take this new information and use it as a tool for reprogramming your mind - think of yourself differently and treat yourself better because you are worth so much more than someone who only talks about negative things!
One more thing
If you believe that you can never change, well that's a limiting belief.
Read on.
Neuroplasticity is the ability of our brains to reorganize themselves by forming new connections throughout life. Neuroscientists have shown that every time we have a thought or engage in an activity, we strengthen some of these neural pathways and weaken others; as a result, our mental capacities are largely determined by how we use our brains.
In other words: it's possible for us to create a brain with completely different neuropathways even though they already exist! Our goal should be creating those neuro-paths which will lead us towards success rather than failure - this can be done through mindfulness practices such as meditation.
This article is based on topics covered in my new book From Agony To Bliss: Turn Your Limiting Beliefs Into Limitless Success available on Amazon.
