Too often we get stuck due to our own personal limiting beliefs and behaviours.
These may seem familiar to you:
I’m a failure
I’m angry at myself
I don’t deserve this (experience, person, place)
How come he/she always wins and I don’t get a chance?
Why is this happening to me?
The cause of these limiting beliefs: Fear.
Let’s not engage the fear!
I truly believe that the fear voice is one that appears in times where your limiting beliefs are dictating everything you say, think, do, and of course, believe. The minute fear comes knocking at your door, you unconsciously let it inside.
So how do we shift limiting beliefs into limitless beliefs?
One of the philosophies in the Buddhist Teaching and Buddhist Psychology is the idea of R.A.I.N. Tara Brach, PhD provides some great guidance of the R.A.I.N. methodology. Let’s simplify it here:
R – Recognize the limiting belief
A – Acknowledge the limiting belief
I – Investigate the limiting belief
N – Non-attachment to the limiting belief
When we take a step back to truly observe the moments of fear and limiting beliefs, we can recognize the underlying cause, or potential trigger of why we are feeling a certain way, or believing a certain self-assumption.
Just as a new habit takes 40 days to become a habit or ritual, utilizing the RAIN technique is something that can be used to be more mindful, drive self-acceptance and turn our limiting belief into a limitless belief. The powerless into powerful. Reframe the story.
Please remember: Simply recognizing and acknowledging that the limiting belief is there provides us with the outlet to also recognize that the limiting belief is untrue, and false.
Limiting beliefs arise out of holding patterns from our past experiences. Because we have life experiences that may have not turned out in our favour, we tend to believe that because the current experience we are in so closely resonates to something that happened in the past; it will turn out the way that it has in the past. Ultimately, this thinking limits us from being our truest selves, and we hide from our authentic power.
The next time you encounter a limiting self-belief, be the first to call yourself on it. Identify the potential trigger for the belief, why you are feeling how you are feeling, and counteract the things in which you can do to accept that the belief is false.
Make a list of the beliefs that are true, that do counteract your limiting beliefs:
I’m a failure → I am enough
I’m angry at myself → I love myself and accept myself as I am
I don’t deserve this (experience, person, place) → I deserve the best in life
How come he/she always wins and I don’t get a chance? → Here are the wins I am grateful for
Why is this happening to me? → This is happening for me
When we reframe our story and start living from a place of positive limitless beliefs, we are empowered. We can let this fuel our fire and drive. We can utilize this energy into creating a positive story, one that is true, and one that can inspire us to confront our fears and energize us.
Trishna Patnaik
Art Therapist and healer, Mumbai
Image from pexels
