Knowing Your Limits

What’s holding you back?

How often do you find that you talk yourself out of doing something? Heck, I did it just the other day!

We all do it, sometimes daily and while it may not necessarily be a bad thing to do in some cases, usually we do it because we don’t have the confidence things will turn out the way we would like or expect them to. But in doing so, we are limiting ourselves. 

The problem is that over the years, you start building up more and more limiting beliefs about yourself thereby locking away the potentially great things you may be able to offer this world.

I addressed this problem in a post several months ago which focused on who it is in our lives that we allow to tell us who we are. The ones who plant the seeds of limiting beliefs. My advice then and now is to focus on who God says you are because His opinion matters above all else.

But today I want to take this theme a step further and share with you an exercise I learned back in 2016 which revealed to me the truth about limiting beliefs. I think you will find it to be useful and very liberating.

Your Best Year Ever

Michael Hyatt is an entrepreneur who specializes in helping people get the best out of their days through planning and goal setting.

Back in 2016 I took part in one of his programs called “Your Best Year Ever” which was designed to help you plan and focus on the upcoming calendar year.

One of the elements of the program was to sit down and write out all of the limiting beliefs you felt you had. You know, those things you tell yourself that actually work against you being able to achieve your very best.

Now if you’re thinking thats not something you’d really want to do, you know how I felt back then. But I did it anyway.

Here’s the kicker though:

for every limiting belief you identify, you also need to honestly identify and accept the liberating truth about that limiting belief.

In other words, call out the lie that the limiting belief is telling you.

The Takeaway 

You’re going to find that every limiting belief that you have IS a lie. You’re going to understand that each one is based on some erroneous standard of this world that you have somehow taken to heart.

I don’t mind sharing with you the number 1 limiting belief I had back in 2016 as I was about to turn 60 years old: 

“I have been unsuccessful in just about everything I try.”

Yeah, not a good one and I really believed it!

But as I began to seriously unpack that dour belief, I realized it was based on an unreasonable, of this world standard which says success is only measured by the degree of income produced. And over the years I had been focusing only on the money to gauge my success or failure.

Amazingly, once I took that “measure” of success out of the equation, I was able to acknowledge and write down 2 1/2 pages worth of successes I had achieved over the years which completely changed my outlook and eliminated that destructive limiting belief. 

But here’s whats really important to remember: 

God has no limiting beliefs for us so why should we?

Need some biblical reassurance? I always go to Ephesians 2:10 or Jeremiah 29:11.

Your Call to Action

Yep, it’s time for you to dive head first into the limiting belief exercise I’ve just described here.

But before you start thinking of reasons not to, let me tell you: the minute I wrote down my number 1 limiting belief, something happened even before I started listing my liberating truths. It’s like the padlock on my soul suddenly unlocked and I knew in my heart my limiting beliefs were a lie. I could clearly see and know the truth. 

The same can happen for you.

And when you commit to honestly tackling this exercise, be sure to invite God into the process. Ask Him to clear your mind and reveal to you the true value you have for this world and for His glory. He won’t let you down!

Until next time: Stay strong, Keep the faith!

“And may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”