6 limiting beliefs, and how they harm us on a day-to-day basis

Much of what we do, think and feel on a day-to-day basis does not have to do so much with supposed preferences, the place where we live or the way others relate to us, but rather something more subtle: our deepest beliefs .

And is that no matter how many people still believe in something similar to objectivity, the truth is that all people see life through glasses shaped by ideas that have accompanied us for a long time and that, although we do not pay attention, increase our propensity to think one way and not another.

So, having beliefs is irremediable, it is something that we can not avoid. This, of course, is not bad, since it is impossible for all our knowledge to be based on objective and unquestionable truths; We need the beliefs to have some clear ideas and not be constantly doubting. But nevertheless, When the limiting beliefs appear, the problems begin . Let's see what they are.

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What are limiting beliefs?

Sometimes, our convictions can become our worst enemies, and limiting beliefs are an example of this.

Is about ideas deeply rooted in our way of thinking that, instead of allowing us to reach quickly conclusions that are normally correct, they make us fall again and again into the same mistakes, normally based on keeping us within the comfort zone and avoiding that we expose ourselves to new thought routes that would allow us to develop as people

In short, these ideas make us more prone not only to make mistakes, but also to not being able to recognize the signs that the way we are thinking does not fit well with reality .

6 cases of limiting beliefs

Of course, the range of limiting beliefs is very broad, so the best for understand their scope and how they can harm our lives is to see very common examples of these. Below you can see several of them.

1. If many people believe the same, it must be true

It is one of the most common limiting beliefs, and in practice it can lead us to rely on practically any type of idea, no matter how crazy, especially at a time when there are so many people living on the planet that every absurd idea has a good number of adepts .

For example, according to this limiting belief, one can "defend" the idea that the race of each person determines their level of intelligence, or that it is necessary to wear expensive clothes to please others. Who thinks in this way is not taking into account that history shows how it is possible that hundreds of thousands of people are fundamentally wrong about reality.

2. If others reproach me something, I must be guilty

It is very common that people with certain insecurity believe that when others are angry with them for something or are disappointed because they have not made an action, there must always be a valid reason to justify that feeling.

It is true that many times the anger and disappointment are real and manifest as authentic through the actions of the other person, but that does not mean they have reason to be. Many times, the lack of assertiveness and the tendency to say yes to everything makes the rest demand more things than the rest and, even without realizing it, apply other moral standards with those who do not know how to defend their point of view. But this is just another reason why it is good to distrust their point of view , instead of giving it for good without more.

3. Each person has his or her half orange

The myth of the half orange is one of the limiting beliefs that can be more harmful, since it leads us to think that we are incomplete people until we find someone special. But the truth is that there is no reason why we should think that our happiness or ability to adapt to the world depends on whether we meet or not with someone who by statistics should not even live on our continent.

It is a belief that can only be sustained if we assume that there is someone who has already traced all the stages through which our lives will pass, making the world a kind of "theater stage" in which there is a series of elements conveniently placed especially for us.

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4. Seeing things is better than doing things

This idea is so absurd that in fact it is part of one of the famous and humorous quotes of Homer Simpson, that is, it is used as part of the caricature of his character. However, there are many people of flesh and blood who believe in it at face value.

Limiting beliefs based on passivity and sedentary lifestyle They are responsible for many of the experiences that we lose on a daily basis, as they offer us stability and absence of reasons to worry in exchange for leading monotonous and predictable lives in which each day resembles the previous one. In addition, there is no possibility of living the same experience seeing it or doing it: there are things that, if we do not do them, we do not live at all. Leaving the comfort zone is essential to break the cycle of beliefs that confirm themselves because of the lack of new stimuli.

5. Sacrificing for others always bears fruit

Day by day shows that betting everything to please others does not have to help us get something in return, beyond the rest get used to assist them. This is one of the limiting beliefs that produce more frustration, because the sacrifices we have made in the past to satisfy others make us continue to believe fervently that we are on the right path no matter what happens , so as not to have to face the idea that we have been trying for nothing. It is a phenomenon known as cognitive dissonance.

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6. I do not have enough talent to do something

The media, as well as the marketing bubbles through which we get the image of the most famous people, they make us have an unreal idea about what talent is . In the vast majority of cases it is not a matter of being born, but it basically depends on the practice and the effort that is placed behind it.

It is clear that there are individual differences and that certain people have more facilities than others for reasons beyond the control of each, such as genetics, but this is only relevant in relative terms, if we want to be in the world ranking of a certain discipline. If not, it is likely that the skill set we were born with is more than enough to develop incredible talent; Of course, if before we have shown the necessary willpower for it.