Limiting beliefs are those thoughts, sometimes conscious, sometimes not, that keep us from doing the things we need to do to reach our goals. For example, when I was growing up I wanted to be an astronaut. That was at the beginning of the manned space program and whenever I would mention that I wanted to be an astronaut I would hear someone say – girls can’t be astronauts. That is a limiting belief. It kept me from trying to become an astronaut.
Not all limiting beliefs come directly from an outside source. There was a time when I also wanted to become a doctor. I knew that I had to take physics and calculus in order to go to medical school. I didn’t believe that I could do well in those subjects in spite of the fact I was a straight A student. There was no logical reason to assume I couldn’t pass those classes but my belief that I couldn’t kept me from actually trying.
History is full of limiting beliefs. The world is flat. That belief kept people close to home so that they didn’t fall off the edge. A limiting belief is anything that keeps you stuck right where you are.
The good news — they are just beliefs, not facts. We can challenge our limiting beliefs. Tapping is a great way to do that. Believing that I can’t pass physics is a belief. Deciding that I don’t want to put in the work that physics would require is a choice. Being in a position of choice is “where it’s at” if you ask me.