Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction says “Our thoughts are just thoughts, not the truth of things, and certainly not the accurate representations of who we are. In being seen and known, thoughts cannot but self-liberate, and we are, in that moment, liberated from them.”
Limiting beliefs are our negative core beliefs that restrict our potential.
They are what keep us frozen, stuck, stagnant.
They are often our excuses for avoiding the change that we desperately want but are too afraid to make happen.
Our limiting beliefs are thoughts that we've reinforced by thinking them again and again and again. At one time they served to protect us in some way - but now, they only hold us back.
So, once we recognize that we have a limiting belief, how do we get rid of it?
How do we release ourselves from this limiting belief that is not longer serving us?
We do this through a simple two-step Do Less Be More letting go exercise.
STEP ONE: LETTING GO OF SOMETHING TANGIBLE
We begin with the physical to prove to ourselves we can do this. Starting with the physical gives us a tangible, somatic example that we can use to understand the before and after effects of the letting go process.
The first thing to do in this Do Less Be More Letting Go Exercise is to find something in your house that you have owned for as long as you can remember.
It might be something you never even use.
Something that is taking up space without contributing to the space.
Something that requires more work than the benefit it offers you.
Something you are holding on to, just because you always have.
And then once you’ve found the thing, I want you to take hold of it and ask yourself:
Does this serve the me I am now and the me I am becoming?
Does it make me feel at ease, in flow, joyful?
Is it contributing to my truth?
If the answer is no, then it's time to ditch it.
When we are physically decluttering a space - we typically have three choices for every item we decide to ditch: donate, sell, or trash.
The choice is yours - the end result is the same - the point is to let it go.
As a side note - if this choice is paralyzing in of itself for you - then just throw it in the garbage and forget about it. Material things are just things. We will not take them with us after this human experience. And if it’s causing enough stress that even after you’ve decided it isn’t serving the truth of who you are, the thought of ditching it it still weighs you down or paralyzes you, then I want you to know that this exercise is going to be even more profound for you once you complete it - because there is SO MUCH waiting for you on the other side of letting go:
Relief.
Lightness.
Simplicity.
Space.
Potential.
Remember the thing is not who you are. You can let it go and you can do so in appreciation for what it once offered you, with grace, and with courage to step forward without it, into your truth.
After you let it go - pay attention to how you feel, and how your space feels without it.
What emotions come up for you?
How about physical sensations in your body? Do you feel freer? Curious? Expansive?
When you observe your space without this thing - what do you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?
What has been brought to light by lightening your physical load?
Now once this first step is complete - once you've physically released something that is no longer serving you, and you have reflected on the impact of the simple conscious choice of letting go, then I want you to repeat this exact same process.
But this time, rather than something physical, you’re going to do the work on the inside. You know you can do it with a physical thing, now it's time to apply your practice to something you can't physically see.
STEP TWO: THE LETTING GO OF LIMITING BELIEFS
The quickest way to do this is to get grounded, breath 3 slow deep breaths, close your eyes, and take a peek at your mind’s top ten tracks.
Your top ten tracks are the limiting beliefs you have about yourself and the world around you. They are like the annoying pop songs that your mind plays over and over again, whether you want to hear them or not. These tracks are how we explain our experience to ourselves. They are rooted in our life’s history, were developed when we were young, and involve not just thoughts but also their associated feelings, needs, fears, and urges.
They might sound like:
“What I have to say doesn’t matter”,
or
“People can’t be trusted”,
or
“It's always up to me”,
or
“If I don’t work hard, I’m a failure”.
Go ahead and pick one of your top ten tracks and then ask yourself :
Does this belief serve the me I am now and the me I am becoming?
Does it make me feel at ease, in flow, or joyful?
And most importantly…Is it true?
And if it’s not?
Let. It. Go.
Imagine, in your mind's eye, that you can wrap that belief up and then use one of the elements (fire, water, air, earth) in a creative way to make it go away.
Play pretend with this process - tap into your child-like imagination and wrap that belief up into a ball of yarn, put it in a hot air balloon, and watch it float far far away. Or secure it with duct tape and then bury it super deep underground. Or maybe you'll gather it all up and create a giant bonfire and watch it burn away. The elements are powerful transformation tools, and your imagination is a powerful creator - use them both to let the belief go. You do not need it anymore.
Consciously choose to no longer need this top ten track anymore. Name it, thank it (because it used to serve a purpose), and let it go. Bid it adieu with grace, appreciation, and courage just like you did the physical thing in the first part of this letting go exercise.
And then pay attention to how you feel on the inside; how the space between your thoughts feels.
When you observe your mind now, without this limiting belief - what do you notice that you hadn’t noticed before?
What might have been hidden by that limiting belief, that now has space to be?
What belief do you want to take up space now, instead?
It’s important to remember that beliefs aren't the ultimate truth. They are simply thoughts we’ve thought many times over. And if they are not supportive, they can be changed once we bring them to the light and choose to let them go. The physical, tangible practice, as well as the internal mind practice are both productive ways for transforming beliefs.
Liberate your negative beliefs, liberate you.
If you'd like support with clearing limiting beliefs, dive deeper with an IFS Coach and book a consultation call now.
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