6 limiting beliefs, and how they harm us on a daily basis

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

And it is that as much as some continue to believe in something similar to objectivity, the truth is that all people see life through glasses made up of ideas that have been with us for a long time and that, although we do not pay attention, increase our propensity to think in a way and not in other.

Thus, having beliefs is irremediable, it is something that we cannot avoid. This of course, is not bad, since it is impossible that all our knowledge is based on objective and unquestionable truths; we need the beliefs to have some clear ideas and not to be constantly doubting. However, when limiting beliefs appear, problems begin. Let's see what they consist of.

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What are limiting beliefs?

Sometimes our convictions can be 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 quickly reach conclusions that are normally correct, they make us fall again and again into the same errors, usually based on staying within the comfort zone and in avoiding that we expose ourselves to new routes of thought that would allow us to develop as people.

Ultimately, 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 reality well.

6 cases of limiting beliefs

Of course, the range of limiting beliefs is very wide, so it is best to 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 trust practically any Kind of idea, as crazy as it may be, especially at a time when there are so many people living on the planet what every absurd idea has a good number of followers.

For example, according to this limiting belief it is possible to "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 the rest. Whoever thinks this way is not taking into account that history shows how far it is possible that hundreds of thousands of people are fundamentally wrong about reality.

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

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

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

3. Each person has his or her better half

The myth of the better half is one of the limiting beliefs that can be more harmful, since 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 the world depends on whether or not we meet someone who statistically should not even live in our continent.

It is a belief that is only sustained if we assume that there is someone who has already mapped out in advance all the stages they will go through. our life, making the world a kind of "theater stage" in which there are a series of elements conveniently placed especially for U.S.

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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 Homer Simpson's famous and humorous quotes, that is, it is used as part of his character's caricature. However, there are many flesh and blood people who believe in it absolutely.

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

5. Sacrificing yourself for others always pays off

Day to day shows that betting everything to please others does not have to help us to get something in return, beyond the rest getting used to our assisting them. This is one of the most frustrating limiting beliefs, as the sacrifices we have made in the past to satisfy others they keep us fervently believing that we are on the right track no matter what, so that we don't 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 am not talented enough to do something

The media, as well as the marketing bubbles through which the image of the most famous people reaches us, make us have an unreal idea about what talent is. In the vast majority of cases it is not an aptitude with which you are born, but it basically depends on the practice and the effort that is put 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 one, such as genetics, but this is only relevant in relative terms, if what we want is to be in the world ranking of a certain discipline. If not, chances are that the skill set we were born with is more than enough to develop incredible talent; that yes, if before we have demonstrated to have the necessary willpower for it.