“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.”

(Ronald Reagan)

What Are Limiting Beliefs?

A limiting belief is a mindset or self-perception that restricts who you are in some manner. Every person has and experiences limiting beliefs, but by learning to recognise them, you may actively work to avoid having them restrict you. Limiting beliefs can impact the mind, body, and soul as well as impede your behaviours and habits.

Limiting beliefs may also entrap you into a negative state of mind, making it difficult for you to enjoy new possibilities and blisses in life. This is harmful in both the short and long term to one’s mental, physical, and emotional health. It is crucial to identify the subconscious thoughts that limit you well as focus on your self-awareness and self-esteem.

Individuals often fail to take ownership of their life, which is the main cause of their failure to attain their goals. They prefer to think that things simply happen to them and that their circumstances are beyond their control. Tony Robbins refers to this concept as an “external locus of control”. You need to establish an internal centre of control or the conviction that life happens for you, not to you, to learn how to overcome your limiting beliefs. Your fate is ultimately decided by your actions which are are impacted by your thoughts and mindset.

An example of having a limiting belief could be that an individual thinks that they have poor public speaking skills, this then will prompt them to reject any opportunity or experience to practice public speaking. This could range from workplace opportunities to social gatherings, to speeches. Having this limiting belief impacts the individual by raising their anxiety, negatively affecting the person’s emotions, and creating harmful thoughts in their mind.

Our comfort zones are maintained by our limiting beliefs. They may significantly impede our ability to grow and accomplish our objectives, both personally and professionally. These are the ideas that we hold to be unquestionable facts, whether they are conscious or subconscious. Thoughts like this may be conquered and replaced with more positive ones to help us move closer to our goals in life. You may alter everything by altering your way of thinking.

Our experiences in life are frequently beyond our control, but the thing we can control is our reactions and how we respond to them. No matter what, we can control our emotions, learn from our failures, create better choices, and move toward our objectives.

What Is Your Lower & Higher Self?

The Lower Self and the Higher Self are two different aspects that make up a human. The ego self, sometimes known as the Lower Self, is what enables us to exist in our physical bodies and a physical environment. When all the constraints, limitations, and delusions that restrict us are removed, the Higher Self emerges as who we really are. The Higher Self is unconstrained by the physical and material world and extends to “higher planes of consciousness.”

Identification with the ego and the functions it performs entails the Lower Self. It is entirely focused on the physical self and has no understanding of the idea of awareness or consciousness. In this condition, individuals embrace the delusion of false identity and are unaware of who they truly are.

The Lower Self is under the illusion that it is distinct and a separate entity from everything around itself. Those who are under the control of the Lower Self are only interested in what they perceive to be their own and what will benefit them. Because it lacks internal control, the Lower Self is in a constant state of uncertainty and internal struggle. Individuals who are trapped in this position are sometimes forced to act contrary to their moral principles, especially when in circumstances where money is involved.

The Lower Self is usually ignored as it is unaware of what is happening to itself or in its environment. Individuals who are more in touch with their Lower Self, are unable to recognise patterns and trends in their own lives or the wider world. This is because they have a minimal understanding of what true freedom is. The main objectives and goals of the Lower Self encompass materialism, extra power, and more money.

The term ‘Higher Self’ refers to the notion that individuals are omnipotent, conscious, and intelligent beings as described in a variety of belief systems. Your Higher Self is essentially the part of you that is free of ego and the conflicts it might cause between you and other people. It is also known as the soul, which is a component of the celestial or cosmic world.

Connecting with God or the Divine, allows you to tap into your Higher Self as you are letting go of the material world and finding peace in something deeper and more meaningful. The idea of a ‘Higher Self’, is discussed in several religions and belief systems including Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. The Higher Self recognises that there is no difference between the self and others since it resides in a non-dual condition. Since we are all conscious beings, we are a part of the totality that is experiencing life as it exists on this planet. Non-duality also refers to a person's awareness when all three facets of human consciousness have been united and there is no internal conflict.

The Higher Self oversees its ideas, feelings, and deeds. It combines the best aspects of the human mind, body, and spirit and then embodies true compassion, kindness, and willpower when it comes to the world around itself. It is conscious of what true freedom is, and that refusing to embody peace and pure heartedness will lead to deeper suffering.

Overcome Your Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are typically subconscious notions that act as protective mechanisms against potential disappointments, failures, and setbacks. Past experiences tend to cause our limiting beliefs, and now in the present when you are confronted with a circumstance that is similar, your subconscious looks for a means to attempt to block it.

Identify The Source Of The Issue

Identifying the source of the issue by recognising the cause of the negativity is a useful practice to combat limiting beliefs.

According to Leticia Miranda, limiting thoughts and beliefs have several origins. These include:

• Personal beliefs are those experiences that were lived by the person, leading them to develop certain blocks.  
• Hereditary experiences and beliefs that are related to the way we were created, the ideas and behaviours that we observe and reinforce during our entire life.
• Fear or excuse is everything you use as an excuse to stop doing something or when you stop taking a certain action for fear of failing.
• Social circles of the people around you and those who can influence you.
• Society can impose standards that generate limiting beliefs.
• Religious beliefs can sometimes spread limiting thoughts, as their preaching usually defines which attitudes are accepted under the eyes of the divinity in which an individual believes.

By identifying the source of your limiting beliefs then you can recognise what your limiting beliefs truly mean and begin to combat these belief systems. If you can do so, then you may finally begin to believe that these beliefs are untrue and are only a protective mechanism.

Adopt A New Belief System

Adopting a new belief will help you live a better life. This change may not be simple at the start, however, through consistency and persistence you are sure to break through your old mindset. It is the negative self-talk and profound beliefs that tell us that we cannot achieve our goals and that we are limited with what we can do as our limiting beliefs can occasionally exist deep within our subconscious. Depending on how long you have considered and experienced the events that lead you to think the way you do, it might have forged an exceptionally deep emotional connection and solidified the conviction. You must possess the fortitude and stamina to alter your way of thinking and embrace a new belief if you decide to change.

Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone

If you have identified the source of the issue and the limiting belief itself, then you may move on to the next step of recognising the damaging effects of holding onto the limiting belief. By doing so, you are then capable of challenging yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone by opposing your limiting belief and tapping into your Higher Self.

Taking action and adopting a new mindset where your limiting beliefs no longer hold you back, means that you are already creating a new reality for yourself, letting go of your ego, and connecting with your Higher Self. Programming your mind to overcome your limiting beliefs can include visualising the outcomes you would like to attain and constructing the reality you want for yourself. A great approach to building this new belief system is through visualisation. Visualising the outcome that you desire to have will allow your mind to think more positively and confidently, allowing you to demonstrate a sense of Higher Self.

Tap Into Your Higher Self

Once you have overcome your limiting beliefs, tapping into your Higher Self becomes simpler and easier for you to do. There are several ways that allow you to tap into your Higher Self and overcome your negative mindset. Practicing meditation, contemplation, surrendering your ego, being in nature, and connecting to God are the easiest ways to do so. These practices inspire calmness, direction, and harmony within the mind, body, and soul by transporting you from a lower vibration to a higher one. This will in turn help you overcome the need to be distracted by material things and the physical world. You will be operating on a frequency of love, happiness, peace, joy, and enlightenment.

Tapping into your Higher Self entails the following benefits:

• Lowers levels of anxiety
• Increases creativity
• Enhances intuition
• Decreases depression
• Expands patience
• Diminishes intense fears

Meditation is a beneficial way to calm your mind and align with your Higher Self as it is a straightforward practice. Meditation has been proven to lower stress, improve relaxation, increase clarity, and foster happiness. The advantages of meditation may start to manifest right away and learning how to do it is quite simple. Allowing some time for structured meditation is crucial for developing a pattern and becoming used to the practice. Setting a few minutes of each day aside for meditation will have a significant positive impact on your life. To meditate, sit down in a place that makes you feel comfortable and at peace, and relax your body by inhaling deep breaths in and exhaling slowly out. It is important to feel every breath and become attentive to the sounds within and around you. If your mind begins to wander, try to take deeper breaths, and remember to be kind to yourself. Consistency is always the key!

Practicing gratitude will allow you to align with your Higher Self as by doing so, you are simultaneously removing your limitations and negative thoughts. Oprah Winfrey comments on this notion and states that “Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It is the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to effect change in your life.” Thus, enhancing your gratitude will have a considerable positive effect on your life and transform you into a state of higher vibration.