Turn Your Career Around — 6 Strategies for Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
Are you frustrated with being stuck in a dead-end job? Do you feel like your Career is going nowhere? You will be surprised that when it comes to achieving our career goals, sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t external factors like lack of opportunity or resources but rather our own internal beliefs and attitudes. These limiting beliefs can keep us from pursuing our dreams and reaching our full career potential. In this article, we’ll explore limiting beliefs, how they can impact your Career, and most importantly, how to overcome them and achieve your goals.
First of all, we need to understand what limiting beliefs are.
Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts or assumptions about ourselves and the world around us. These beliefs can often be deeply ingrained and may have been formed through past experiences, cultural conditioning, or even the opinions of others. Most of these we got when we were between 1–10 years old. They mostly come from Parents and other family members, but teachers and society also play a significant impact. They can be stuff like “I am not smart enough”, and as we get older, we add to that. Some examples of limiting beliefs that can hold us back in our careers include:
“I’m not smart enough to pursue that career path.”
“I don’t have the necessary skills or qualifications to succeed in my desired field.”
“I am not educated enough to grow any further.”
“I’m a total fraud. I shouldn’t even be in the position I am in.”
“I’m too old/young to make a career change.”
“I’m not confident enough to speak up in meetings or take on leadership roles.”
“People will just make fun of me if I strive too high and make a joke of myself.”
“I’ll never be able to earn the salary I want.”
“I’m not lucky enough to get a break in my career.”
Does any of these sound familiar to you?
These beliefs can be very powerful and affect our behaviour subtly. For example, if you believe you’re not smart enough to pursue a particular career, you may be less likely to apply for jobs in that field or to seek opportunities to develop your skills. Similarly, if you believe that you’ll never be able to earn the salary you want, you may be less likely to negotiate for higher pay or to pursue promotions that would lead to a higher salary.
How limiting beliefs impact your Career
Limiting beliefs can significantly impact your Career, both in terms of your success and satisfaction. Here are just a few of the ways that limiting beliefs can hold you back:
They limit your potential: When you believe you’re incapable of achieving your goals, you may be less likely to try. This belief can limit your potential and prevent you from reaching your full capabilities. You won’t take a risk and become complacent. This is one of the biggest reasons for some employees being in a position for over 5–10 plus years and seeing no growth. Having said this, some people are content with being in that one position and prefer it. That is fine for them, but for people who want growth and see themselves more than the position they hold, this is not ideal.
They create self-doubt: Limiting beliefs can create a sense of self-doubt that can be difficult to shake. Also, self-doubt can impact your confidence and make it harder to take risks or pursue new opportunities. Self-doubt doesn’t only stay there but creeps into every fabric of your life, and you will start having self-doubt in everything you do.
They prevent growth: When you believe that you’re not good enough or don’t have the necessary skills to succeed, you may be less likely to seek opportunities for growth and development. This can prevent you from expanding your skillset and reaching your full potential. 80% of employees are a victim of this.
They create a negative mindset: Limiting beliefs can create a negative mindset that can be difficult to break, impacting your overall attitude towards your Career and making it harder to stay motivated and focused. Like self-doubt, this has a domino effect and will start to affect your marriage, financials, relationship with friends and everything else.
How to overcome limiting beliefs
Overcoming limiting beliefs can be challenging, but it’s essential to achieving your career goals. Here are a few strategies that can help you overcome your limiting beliefs and unlock your full potential:
Identify your limiting beliefs: The first step in overcoming limiting beliefs is to identify them. This will require a little soul-searching. You will need to ask yourself the question, “What do I think is holding me back” The best is to do it in a journal and write whatever comes to mind. Take some time to reflect on the thoughts and assumptions that are holding you back in your Career.
Challenge your limiting beliefs: Once written, examine them closely to determine how they impact your behavior and attitudes. Now it’s time to challenge them. Ask yourself whether these beliefs are based on facts or assumptions. Are there any examples from your past that contradict these beliefs? Are there people you know who have succeeded despite similar obstacles?
Reframe your thoughts: Reframing your thoughts is a powerful way to overcome limiting beliefs. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do or don’t have, try to focus on what you can do and what you do have. For example, if you believe that you’re not qualified for a particular job, instead of focusing on your lack of qualifications, try to focus on your strengths and the skills that you do have. This reframing can help you feel more confident and empowered to pursue opportunities you may have previously avoided.
Seek support: Overcoming limiting beliefs can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Seek support from friends, family, or colleagues who can encourage and help you stay motivated. Sometimes it is best to consider working with a Career Coach who can help you develop strategies for overcoming your limiting beliefs.
Take action: Ultimately, action is the best way to overcome limiting beliefs. Start small by setting achievable goals and taking steps towards achieving them. Your confidence will automatically grow as you see progress, and you’ll be more motivated to continue pursuing your career goals.
Embrace failure: Finally, it’s important to remember that failure is a natural part of the learning process. Don’t let your fear of failure keep you from pursuing your goals. Instead, embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. Use your failures as a chance to reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve in the future.
Limiting beliefs can be a significant obstacle to achieving your career goals, but they don’t have to be. By identifying and challenging limiting beliefs, reframing our thoughts, seeking support, taking action, and embracing failure, we can overcome these obstacles and unlock our full potential in our careers. Remember, your thoughts and beliefs are powerful and can either hold you back or propel you towards success. Choose to focus on what you can do and what you do have, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your career goals.
What are your thoughts on limiting beliefs? Please share in the comments area. If you want to reach me on other platforms, you can do so through the following link