5 Steps To Clearing Limiting Beliefs To Stop Self Sabotage

Years before I started my online business career 17 years ago I bought into a couple limiting beliefs of thinking that I had to have a lot of money before I could start my online career as an online entrepreneur. I also believed that my business niche idea had to be “perfect” before I could launch. Those thoughts literally dictated how I behaved every day of my life. I was being held back by an unseen force! I literally couldn’t take action toward my dreams because of those limiting beliefs.

It wasn’t until eight months later in 2007 I discovered what that “unseen force” was that held me captive for so long. While I was reading a slew of top self-help books I stumbled upon the subject of “self sabotage”. I had no idea until then what that meant but my identity was instantly elevated. I realized that self sabotage was the internal enemy I needed to conquer!

If you’re also at a spot in life where you too are finding yourself NOT taking action on the dreams you’ve created for yourself but WANT to, then today’s article is for you.

1st Key to Stop Self Sabotage

It turns out that stopping self sabotage involves changing human beliefs which can be a tricky thing to do.

Beliefs lead to Thoughts leading to Emotions that lead to Actions and then to our Habits.

The first foundation pillar to set in place to stopping self sabotage is to take 100% responsibility for our life and actions, no matter what. It’s the most powerful antidote to self-sabotage. Doing so though will transform you from victim to victor!

When you blame your circumstances, upbringing, time, money, or even your personality you subconsciously give away your power. This opens the door to excuses and patterns like procrastination, overthinking and perfectionism etc.

Even in common situations of the unseen or unaware beliefs influencing our actions we must still take personal responsibility. Taking personal responsibility is the foundational KEY to conquering self sabotage because you’re exercising your God-given free agency, the power to act, not be acted upon.

Now taking the key of responsibility forward let’s discuss some examples of one of the most common limiting belief categories that lead to negative emotions resulting in self sabotaging behaviors.

Limiting Beliefs Examples

Later in this guide I’ll teach you about all 3 categories of limiting beliefs but let’s list out some of the most common beliefs within the first category.

I’m not good enough category

This is one of the most common limiting beliefs I’ve had and seen among the 3,200 students I’ve mentored the past 15 years. It attacks your true identity of being a person with unlimited potential.

We buy into the false narratives that I’m not good enough to go on my own or make it “BIG” as a business owner; or you’re not good enough at marketing or sales, or not good enough of a leader to start an online business; all limiting beliefs that sabotage your efforts of developing the skills needed to be successful.

You might even believe right now that you’re not “good enough” to escape your dead-end job for fear of failing or believing your faith in yourself and God is not good enough to empower you to work hard or smart to acquire the entrepreneurial skills needed.

Other common “not good enough” limiting beliefs I’ve seen are believing you are not good enough or worthy enough to earn a lot of money; or even feeling guilty of surpassing the earning power of your Dad and/or Mom.

The list of “I’m not good enough” are all false beliefs and come in a wide variety of forms. These limiting beliefs go on to hold us back from living our full potential as a human being and entrepreneur.

With what you’re about to learn today though you can liberate yourself from the false images of yourself, the lies you tell yourself, the damaging thoughts you’ve bought into, the beliefs you are now just becoming aware of.

So let’s dive further into clarifying what self limiting beliefs really are so you can identify them and clear them out of your life quickly!

What Are Self Limiting Beliefs

Hopefully by now you’ve realized that none of us are exempt from having limiting beliefs that enter into our minds telling us all kinds of ridiculous things that literally hold us back from taking action toward the goals and dreams we want to achieve.

A limiting belief is any conscious or unconscious thought or emotion that falsely influences you to justify yourself from not taking action.

Darren Hardy, former CEO of Success Magazine, said once in a training I attended…and I paraphrase…”we all have negative thoughts, but the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is the habit one develops to learn how to quickly clear limiting beliefs. The key to success is reducing the time-frame between the moment you become conscious of the limited belief to the time it is completely cleared.”

In a nutshell, you will know you have cleared your limiting belief because you can NOW take ACTION. There’s no longer a roadblock in front of you in any way shape or form when you have cleared your limiting belief(s).

WOW! Isn’t that such a profound truth to understand.

We understand here that anyone has the power within them to break through barriers every day of their lives by choosing to take control of their mind. I’m happy to say that each of us can become the master of our fate. When I learned this truth my life changed for the better by quantum leaps!

Before we can really understand how to implement the 5-steps of clearing limiting beliefs properly it’s helpful to provide some background into how our minds work.

There are volumes upon volumes of books written upon the subject of how the mind operates but we’re only going to focus on two fundamentals of the mind.

Unconscious vs Conscious Mind

The two major types of “minds” each of us have are called the conscious and sub-conscious minds. We can compare the conscious & subconscious minds to an ice berg.

The conscious mind is the tip of an ice-berg above water. Those are the thoughts you are aware of, thinking about all throughout the day.

The sub-conscious mind comprises of the majority of the mind representative of all the rest of the ice berg under water. Those are all your long-term deeply held beliefs that influence at least 90% or more of all your actions every day. Just think of that for a moment! Ninety percent of all your actions are dictated by beliefs which are primarily emotional factors that you are not even aware of! Check out this diagram:

It’s important to realize, if you don’t already, that you are not your thoughts. Thoughts are things separate from who you are. In other words your thoughts don’t define YOU but rather it is what you DO that defines you.

The truth is that each of us can be the conscious creator our life if we choose to be. If your daily life is not being created by your own deliberate, conscious choice, it will by default be created by someone else’s choice or agenda. What would you rather see happen?

As the famous success guru Napoleon Hill said…”life is like riding a horse. You can choose to either ride the horse, or the horse will ride you. One or the other will always happen”. The former takes more training and work to do properly but it is a heck of allot better than having such enormous external pressure forced upon your back every day. When a horse rides you that is akin to having other people’s agendas and choices control your daily actions, kind of like a puppet. That’s just no way to live is it!

Now we’re not talking about avoiding people or not getting along with other people’s agendas or choices. We are social creatures. But you might shocked to realize just how much control you are giving to other people!  Your boss, your co-workers, parents, friends, the media, all these people want a piece of your time every day. The question for conscious creators like yourself is to determine “who will contribute towards helping me reach my goals today?” You work toward taking control of the daily flood gate. Open it up and close it depending on who or what is best to allow inside. This is how you take your life back.

As you go through the 5-step clearing process I am about to teach you keep in mind that it is critical to first become 100% aware of the limiting beliefs holding you back so that you can clear them. We gain power over our lives when we activate our conscious mind over the unconscious. You shine light on what was hidden, on what was controlling you unawares, and you do some house cleaning so to speak.

With that said, let’s discuss the 5-steps of clearing and apply them to the lifestyle goals you can achieve by building a successful dropship ecommerce business!

First, an overview of the 5 steps:

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs in 5 Steps

In summary here are the 5 steps I’ll guide you through in more depth:

1. Know what you don’t want
2. Know what you do want
3. Clear the belief
4. Breath life into what you want
5. Act with faith

1- Know what you don’t want

This first step is all about very briefly become aware of what you do not want out the situation or outcome so you can get clear about what you do want in the 2nd step. The goal here is not to dwell upon the negative or the lack of resources. Instead the goal is to create clarity in your life by defining what you don’t need or want with the end in mind goal of obtaining your hearts desire.

Take the time right now to identify what type of lifestyle you do not want and write it down. For example you could say:

1. I don’t want to be trapped anymore at my 9-5 dead-end job working for a micro-managing boss. I’ve had enough of that!
2. I don’t want my daily schedule and agenda to be controlled by anyone else beside my from now on

If that’s what you don’t want, then you will by default have a much easier time creating a vision of what you DO want in step two. Just remember that you want to be clear here about what you don’t want and then move on. Avoid being vague with your descriptions and avoid putting a lot of negative emotion into the identification of what you don’t want.

2- Know what you do want

With this step it’s time to write down what you desire most to achieve and experience out of life. In the running lifestyle example I have going on I would describe in detail the type of lifestyle I want to experience most! So for example I could say:

1. I want to use the vehicle of drop shipping to take me to a level of financial freedom so I can choose where to work, with whom to work with, and have no cap on my earning potential. I want this badly. I am deeply and emotionally committed to this goal. I will do whatever it takes to make it a reality. I will pay the price with my time, diligence and money where needed. I will get help where necessary.
2. I want to have the freedom of working 3 to 5 hours a week to manage my business that is making me at least $130,000 in annual net income.
3. I want to take at least 4 two week long vacations to gorgeous locations in the world every year with my family.

3- Identify & Clear Any Associated Limited Belief

Now that you are clear about what you do and do not want as it relates to your outcome lifestyle goal, it’s time to identify and clear any limiting beliefs holding you back from taking the necessary action toward the real attainment of your objective. I’ll first cover the categories of limiting beliefs and then share with you some clearing techniques you can use.

The 3 Categories of Limiting Beliefs

I’m thankful to say that over the years of study, application, and coaching other students I’ve discovered that all limiting beliefs (thousands of them) can all be categorized into three easy groups. This should make the process much easier for you in become conscious of the unconscious so you can clear it.

1. External Limiting Beliefs: These limiting beliefs tell you there is something external, or outside of you, that is either lacking or can hurt or impede your progress. These are false beliefs telling your mind or feeding your emotions that there is a scarcity of opportunity out there in the world; there’s never enough money, never enough good men or women to enter into relationships with, never enough good jobs, never enough good products, suppliers, and so forth. All of these beliefs of course are false and completely unfounded. The truth is there is an abundance of opportunity out there. There is plenty and to spare. You can create opportunity and achieve whatever you put your heart and mind to. One of the universal principles to follow here is whatever you choose to focus & dwell on it will expand! If you focus on shortage, you get more shortage. If you focus on abundance you get more abundance in your life. The universe will always prove you right depending on what you dwell on.
   
2. Internal Limiting Beliefs: This category of limiting beliefs comprise of false thoughts & emotions telling you that there is something inside of you or about you that is not good enough, something about you is broken or not just right or perfect, that you’re not smart enough. There are also confidence related limiting beliefs as well telling you that you’re not good enough with technology so why try, how can I ever be successful or amount to anything because my parents aren’t successful so I can’t either. The list can also comprise of beliefs that say: I’m too short, I’m too tall, I’m too nice and so on and so forth. All these thoughts foster insecurity and again stop you from taking action toward manifesting your real potential. The truth here is you are more than good enough. You are perfect the way you are! There is nothing at all that is “broken” or “out of place” about who you are. You are unique, one of a kind, and just right the way you are. The real truth is that you can choose to not be defined by what other people think of you. The truth is you can control 100% of your DIVINE self-image. You can dictate what you think & believe about yourself without waiting for permission from anyone else. You are a child of God. You are a person of divine, limitless possibilities. You have the power to consciously create the life you desire regardless of where you live or where you were born, regardless of your genetics, who your parents are and what they do or how much they make, regardless of what your current income is, or race, etc.
3. Perspective Limiting Beliefs: These beliefs are telling you that what you see in your mind is all there is; the possibilities end where your thinking and beliefs end. These thoughts are limited and stop you from seeking help, gathering new perspectives, new angles to look at things, learning more, expanding your personal archive of knowledge. These limiting thoughts are believed to be facts but in reality lack any factual merit at all. The side effects of these perspective beliefs lead you to develop fears of associating with certain people or entering into productive ventures both personally and professionally. The truth of course is that what you perceive right now is but a speck of sand on a beach among numberless volumes of possible perspectives. There will always be new vistas to explore, new levels of knowledge and wisdom to obtain and enjoy in this life. There will always be someone you could seek out who can enlighten your mind and teach you something new. Learning in this life is always ongoing.

Top Clearing Techniques

There a hundreds of various clearing techniques you can use to clear the limiting beliefs you have. We’ll cover a few of them below. The key to remember with clearing techniques is to identify which ones work best for you. The best clearing techniques are the ones that works best for you. You will know for sure that the clearing technique is working effectively for you when the negative energy or thought is no longer on stage in your mind or the negative emotion is gone. You know you are clear when you have no hesitation now to take action toward the object of your desire.

This is not a comprehensive list, but will give you a good starting point. Try any of these out:

• NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming
• Emotion Freedom Technique
• Ho’oponopono – Repeating the words, I love you, I’m sorry, Forgive me, Thank you – directed toward your or others
• Identify, Rate the energy, give the emotion a shape and color, bring the energy out of your body metaphorically, destroy or send the energy with the shape and color away some how (plane flys away with it, dump truck carries it away, you smash it with a hammer an blow the dust away, and then you rate it again, repeat the process until negative energy is completely cleared
• Practice letting go, choose to, forgive yourself and others
• Change your perceptions of the person
• Checking in with yourself by asking, “How am I feeling right now?”
• Whiteboard method (visualize you writing your limiting belief on a whiteboard and you erasing it. It’s gone. Repeat)
• Asking is “this thought/emotion useful?”
• Listening to inspiring, uplifting, music
• Playing a musical instrument
• Working out
• Meditation
• Consuming positive, motivational, inspiring media (books, cd’s, videos)
• Doing a combination of any of the above

You will know that your limiting belief is successfully cleared when you are no longer associated with the thought/feeling which allows you to take action toward the object in mind.

4- Breath Life Into What You Want

Now you’re ready to learn how to take what you want and bring it alive. You are to convince your conscious mind through the actions of repetition, emotion & animation that what you want bad enough is already a reality in your mind, you just have not seen or experienced its physical counterpart YET.

1. Repetition. Here you should repeat what you want as often as possible every day. The longer you dwell on what you want most the sooner you can experience it physically. The very act of dwelling on what you want most is a power you have always had but are putting to greater use now. You are literally being the creator of your own life by spiritually developing it in your mind first through repetition. You can place reminders around yourself and surroundings to help you repeat what you desire most. You can even consider asking people to speak with you about your vision, remind you, follow up, etc. If you have a success coach he/she will be a great asset to you.
2. Emotion. As you repeat what you want it’s vital to associate what you desire most with as many positive emotions as possible. There are a wide range of positive emotions, but to name a few are love, joy, happiness, courage, trust, satisfaction, peace, relaxation, surprise, etc.  Pretend what you want the outcome to feel like. Your mind does not know the difference between real and fake emotions! An emotion is an emotion. Joy is joy. Satisfaction is satisfaction. Instruct your mind & body how it should feel when it is in the attainment of what you want. For example, I would repeat the vision of working from home in my pajamas, sipping on my smoothie as the warm sunlight came beating upon my skin in the morning. I see myself checking my email and seeing 5 new orders come in that day, automatically giving me a profit that day of $1,000 net income. That feels so exciting and liberating! I can feel the hairs on the end of my arm raise just thinking about how grateful I am that I invested my time and effort in getting the help I needed to get me to that point. My wife comes in a gives me a kiss. I go on about my day, check in on my virtual assistant who manages my orders to my suppliers. All is good there. I feel such satisfaction having built a company that I can manage 3-5 hours a week and that my business has also helped 3 other people on my team including my virtual assistant become financially independent as well. That too makes me happy and full of joy knowing that their lives are blessed because of my positive choices. I could go on, but that’s the idea. Immerse your heart and mind into how amazing it feels to already be living your dream in your mind. Life rocks doesn’t it! Yes!
3. Animation: Animating what you want most in your mind is different than repetition and emotion. It involves giving your vision/dream depth, shape, color, movement, life! Just think of what a Disney cartoon animator does when he takes a character they thought of and gives it life such as with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. That’s what you want to do with your vision. Give what you want color, movement, speed, attitude, personality. Visualize yourself engaging with people where necessary, moving, acting as if you are already in the attainment of your dreams. See yourself speaking, carrying on the conversations necessary with business partners, friends, associates. Again, bring what you want most alive here. As you use the tools of repetition, emotion and animation you’re set to move on to the 5th and final step!

5- Act With Faith

With all the 4 previous steps completed and underway, it’s time to shine by acting with faith. Before acting with faith it’s helpful to discuss what faith is and how you can use this power in the attainment of your goals.

First, faith is an action word. It requires you to do all you can do before it’s real power can be manifested in your life. To have faith in your dreams and abilities to achieve them means you leave no room whatsoever for doubt and darkness to creep in to the light you have brought into your life at this point. There is no room for wishy washiness, or fence sitting. It’s GO TIME baby! It’s time to seek out answers, dig deep, get help, get a plan, implement that plan, hire a mentor. Acting with faith means you choose to burn all escape routes and pour your 100% effort into making the living vision a reality for you.

By acting in faith you consistently press forward, breaking through barriers left and right. You practice positive, powerful habits that help you develop skills that you never thought possible. You discover things along your personal path of success that you never knew about yourself. It’s a uniquely crafted personal development journey like no other! You acquire unique knowledge that would never have been realized in any other way or appreciated to any meaningful degree had someone else done all the work for you.

Faith also means that if you are seeking after something that is in alignment with eternal or universal truth, that you can trust in God 100% that He will be on your side to help you attain the physical evidence of the spiritual creation you formed and made come alive in the previous 4 steps. All successful people who have reached any degree of positive influence and prosperity in this world have come to the quick realization that we need faith in someone higher and more powerful than ourselves. That person is God. We need to learn how to trust in God’s timing, knowing that He knows you better than you know yourself and He knows what is best for you. You know all too well, that despite your greatest efforts in life you realize there are some things you just cannot do yourself. For example, persuading the mind and heart of other people, sometime hundreds of miles away, to reach out to you all of a sudden to offer you help along the road of success. And additionally He can help you, if you allow it, by inspiring your mind with the answers when you need them most despite all your best efforts in attaining the answers yourself. When you’ve hit the wall and there is no where else to turn, you’ve done your best, that’s when God steps in and breaks down barriers for you that you couldn’t do yourself. If you’ve never experienced this before, put it to the test!

Acting with faith means you do not wait to be acted upon which means having other people take the action for you. No. Instead you take the initiative. You realize you are 100% responsible for your life and therefore you take deliberate, concise action every day. If you get knocked off the path somehow, you strengthen your resolve and get back on the path and keep moving forward despite. In many instances acting with faith is like driving a car at night on the freeway beaming its light on the road 30 feet ahead of you at a time. As you continue to steer and press the gas to drive forward more of the road becomes visible. And so it is many times traveling upon your own personal road of success. You implicitly trust in God that as you take action toward the object of your desire, if it be right for you, it will come in your possession over time.

What if what I wanted most is not right for me, what then? Is all the action I took in vain? Answer: No. Here’s why.  I have found out for myself that as you act in faith many times the outcome originally YOU personally set out for transforms or evolves into something more beautiful, more grand or into something completely different. Something better than originally thought because God might have a better plan for you than you had thought. It doesn’t occur all the time, but many times it does. And that’s okay. That’s a reality for many people, because the person you were originally when you first started out changed for the better.

Your knowledge, skills, positive habits and perspectives have expanded, your mental muscles strengthened, conditioned. You can do more now than you could back then thereby giving you greater wisdom and foresight. And now you start to think….mmmmmm…..maybe it is okay to have what I originally wanted change over time.

At least I took action toward something that has made me a better person! Many people who act with faith toward their original goals who didn’t end up seeing them come true think maybe the initial desire I brought alive at the start wasn’t the thing designed to give me the most joy and happiness in the first place! Instead these folks realize that the real reward all along was the joy they received throughout the adventures on the way. They discover that there can never be any type of physical reward more valuable than the creation of the rich memories with loved ones and people influenced for the better along the way.