4 Limiting Beliefs You Need to Get Rid of to Be Happy

Unfortunately, most of us have limiting beliefs that we have to overcome.  Limiting beliefs are the false beliefs that we have about ourselves and our place in the world.  They typically are instilled in us at early ages, either by our family or our peers.  We then carry them into adulthood.  They are the beliefs that lead us to make bad choices and prevent us from being happy.

“You aren’t as smart as your sister.” 

“That is a job which is really meant for men.”

“It takes money to go to college. You’ll never be able to afford it.”

“No marriage is perfect.  Sometimes you just have to put up with bad behavior.”

The litany of wrong-headed ideas that people hold is endless.  And these limiting, false beliefs lead people to have unhappy, unsatisfying lives. 

The good news is that you don’t have to keep believing those false ideas.  You can let go of your limiting beliefs and improve your life.  The key is first to identify them.

Below are 4 typical limiting beliefs that keep people from achieving their full potential in life.  Consider whether you hold these false beliefs.  If you do, let them go and see how much better your life becomes.

Limiting Belief #1: My Life Has No Point or Purpose

There are a lot of people out there who falsely believe that their life has no purpose.  They mistakenly believe that they are here randomly, and that it doesn’t matter whether they live or die.

That is a false belief.  Your life has a purpose.  No one is on this earth by accident.  You are here for a very specific reason, and that reason is to improve your small patch of the earth. 

If you simply improve the life of even one person or animal, you have served your purpose to make this world a better place.  If you have lived a life of kindness and gentleness, your life has been infinitely valuable.  Realize that you don’t have to earn a million dollars or find the cure for cancer for your life to be important.

Your purpose in life is to help others in a way that only you are able to do.  So, get yourself out of the “my life has no purpose” mindset.  Instead, start looking around and see whether a person or animal needs your help.  Trust me.  You won’t have to look far!  Your life purpose likely is staring you in the face.  You just don’t realize it.

Limiting Belief #2: I Don’t Deserve Good Things in Life

The concept of being “deserving” is odd.  It is a false concept.  Poor people don’t deserve to be poor.  Bill Gates doesn’t deserve to be rich.  No one deserves any of the material items that they have.  Some folks are financially lucky in life.  And some are unlucky.

Nevertheless, many people go through life with the false belief that they are undeserving of good things.  I remember as a kid never asking for much of anything for either birthdays or Christmas.  I was not raised to believe that I deserved nice things in life.  For example, once as a teenager I was at the mall with my parents, and I asked for a blouse that was a little pricier than the clothing I normally would get.  Looking back on it, the blouse wasn’t terribly expensive.  But I got in trouble for even asking for the blouse.  The message was clear – I didn’t deserve something nice.

It takes a long time to get over those false messages that we don’t deserve good things in life.  And those false messages lead us to allow people to treat us poorly – because we don’t think that we deserve better treatment.  Or we may not treat ourselves well, simply because we don’t think that we deserve what is good in life.

It is critical to get over the idea that you are not deserving.  You deserve the best in life, from good relationships to a great job to a beautiful place to live.  Expect those things.  Work hard for those things!  And don’t settle for less. 

If you buy into the false belief that you don’t deserve a good life, you will make decisions that aren’t in your best interests.  When you get rid of that limiting belief, you will be surprised as to how your decision-making changes, and how your life improves.

Limiting Belief #3: I Am Not Enough

So often, people don’t pursue their dreams because they hold the false belief that they aren’t “enough.”  They may believe they aren’t smart enough, or attractive enough, or talented enough.  All of those beliefs are false beliefs.

I will admit that they are certain things in life for which you need to be “enough.”  For certain achievements, you need specific physical attributes.  As an example, you need to be quite tall to play in the NBA.  But barring those narrow exceptions, everything else in life is achievable. 

Realize that what makes someone great at something is passion and hard work.  Passion and hard work trump natural ability every time.  For instance, let’s say that you are considering becoming a physicist, and you have a Mensa IQ level.  No matter how smart you are, if you don’t love physics, you won’t be as good a physicist as someone who has a passion for the subject matter.

So, get rid of the false belief that you aren’t enough to pursue your dreams.  You are enough.  You simply have to take your passion, add some hard work, and you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to.

Limiting Belief #4: I’m Stuck

The belief that you are stuck or trapped in a situation is the worst limiting belief of them all.  You may feel trapped in a bad marriage, or you may feel stuck in a bad job.  Or you may believe that you are stuck in your current financial situation.

Those are all false beliefs.  Admittedly, getting unstuck can be challenging. You may have to be creative in figuring out how to change your current circumstances.  But it is doable.

We are only stuck to the extent that we are afraid of change.  Unfortunately, most folks believe in the saying, “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.”  However, staying in a bad situation simply because it is familiar is no way to live.

To get unstuck, you need to get rid of the false belief that your bad situation “is as good as it gets.”  I know people who wasted years at bad jobs and in terrible marriages because they honestly believed that their situation was the best that they could do in life.  It was a false, limiting belief that prevented them from changing their lives for the better.

Let me be clear: You aren’t stuck, and life can get better.  So, don’t be afraid of change.  Sometimes, all it takes is some bravery, creativity and hard work to get yourself unstuck from a bad situation.

Limiting beliefs keep us from living our best lives.  Consider whether you have any false, limiting beliefs that are holding you back.  If you do, get rid of them!  Start believing in yourself and your ability to have a beautiful, meaningful, incredible life. (To read about discovering your life purpose, click here.)