Go with me back to 1954. Up until that point, no human being in recorded history had ever run a mile in less than 4 minutes. In fact, many believed that it was impossible. It simply wasn’t done – until 1954. In 1954, a man named Roger Bannister did the unthinkable, the seemingly impossible. Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Within 46 days, his record was broken. This thing that everyone thought was impossible was all of a sudden very possible.
Since Roger Bannister’s record breaking run, well over a thousand others have done the same. How can this be?
How is it that once Bannister shattered the myth, others began to do what once seemed impossible?
Well, I believe it’s because of a little thing called self-limiting beliefs. Self-limiting beliefs are exactly what they sound like – thoughts or beliefs that limit us. They cause us to create boxes that we don’t step out of and barriers that we neither move over or around. They keep us locked in self-defeating, sabotaging patterns and cycles.
In short, self-limiting beliefs keep us stuck.
But they don’t have to. As you read this, you may feel locked in a career you dislike. You may even be in a job you hate. You have dreams. There are things you enjoy and are good at. You’d like to make a career move but can’t see it happening. Maybe you think you’ve waited too long. Perhaps you’re afraid of trying – and failing. Or, it could be that there are financial or other barriers that make it seem impossible. These sound like self-limiting beliefs to me.
The truth of the matter is that we are capable of more than we think we are.
I know what it’s like to, literally, feel sick on Sunday in anticipation of another Monday at a job that drains the life out of me. I know what it’s like to have all the reasons in the world for why I can’t pursue and accomplish my vocational dreams. I also know what it’s like to set all of that aside and “go for it”.
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you are struggling with some self-limiting beliefs as it relates to your career. You want to make a change, but you can’t seem to get out of your own head. What can you do? I’m glad you asked. We could go to many places in Scripture for an answer, but I love what Romans 12:1-2 says:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Our first calling is spiritual and relates to our relationship with God. Let’s not confuse that. That’s what these verses are speaking of. But I believe this truth applies to all areas of our lives. If we are to be transformed, we must experience minds that have been renewed. We must develop new ways of thinking. Because here’s the thing – everything we’ve ever done started as a thought. Everything. No matter what it is, good, bad, or in between, we think it before we do it. So, the way we think matters.
What we think about matters.
Have you ever been in a store, and a song was playing over the speakers, and it wasn’t even a song you particularly liked, yet later that day you found yourself singing that song? That’s because our minds are like sponges – soaking up whatever is in the atmosphere we place ourselves in. So, we must indulge in the right content. Content that stresses what we can do, not what we can’t.
We overcome self-limiting beliefs by renewing our minds.
We renew our minds by flooding them with the truth. The truth of Scripture. The truth that we find in positive environments and around positive people. If we’re consistently putting the right things into our minds – the truth about who we are and the truth about who God is – then, in time, our thinking will change and our self-limiting beliefs will begin to subside. But I have news for you. This isn’t enough. Taking in positive, accurate information isn’t enough.
At the end of the day, we must challenge our beliefs by testing them to see if they’re really true.
In other words, we have to get out there and try. We actually have to do the seemingly impossible to see if it really is impossible. Maybe that means volunteering in a context where we think we’d like to work. I certainly did that quite a lot before transitioning to coaching full-time. It could mean creating an actual exit-strategy for transitioning to a new role and getting someone to help hold us accountable. Perhaps it means creating a side hustle to make sure we enjoy and can excel at what it is we’ve always dreamed of doing. We could pursue a class, certificate, or perhaps even another degree. Whatever the case, action will be required. Sometimes it’s easy to think we can sit, think, talk, and maybe even journal our way into the right and best move for our careers. Not so. Moving forward, reflecting, adjusting, and then continuing to move is the way.
We have to learn to start before we have every single detail figured out.
As we do this, we begin to accumulate evidence to use against our self-limiting beliefs. What if Roger Bannister had never even tried to run a mile in under 4 minutes? We might still find ourselves thinking it’s impossible. But we now know it’s very possible because someone actually tried. And that’s what we must do. Try. Put your career aspirations to the test. Give it your all and see what happens. Like the man with the withered hand, we must stretch it out even though it feels impossible and we’ve never done it before. Like the lame man, even though we can’t walk, we must pick up our mats and walk. Like the priests crossing the Jordan River while carrying the ark, we’ve got to go ahead and put our foot in the water in order to walk across to the other side.
So, what about you?
What self-limiting beliefs are keeping you bound?
What lies might you be holding onto – either consciously or unconsciously? It’s time to break free. It’s time to move forward. It’s time to do away with the self-limiting beliefs.
If you are feeling stuck in your career and would like help moving beyond your self-limiting beliefs, I can help with that. Reach out today to schedule a complementary discovery call.
