How to Let Go of Your Limiting Beliefs
By Sean McCool

Yesterday, I talked about five ways limiting beliefs hold you back. Then I asked you to take a look at your own life and examine where limiting beliefs might be keeping you from your best life.

So now you can benefit from one of the most powerful letting-go processes I’ve ever discovered.

If you’re ready, follow this seven-step process to banish a limiting belief:

Step #1 — Question the belief.

Ask yourself the following three questions:

• Do I really know that this is true?
• Have I experienced this myself enough times to be confident that it is true? (Keep in mind: You can't accurately draw conclusions from a limited number of experiences.)
• Do I really know that this belief is true, without a shred of doubt?

These are powerful questions when answered honestly. Do not underestimate or skip this step. It is vital to your ability to create a new life without limits.

Step #2 — Dig Deeper.

Where did you come up with this belief?

For example, did your limiting belief about money come from your mom? Was your mom a wealthy person? If she wasn't at that time, then she's not a reliable source of information. After all, an expert on money would be able to have a lot of it.

If someone hasn't had a lot of money, then they don't really know how to accumulate it or what it means to have it. Consider whether or not the source of your belief is a valid source.

Your beliefs should come from your own personal experiences and from the advice of experts. That's it. If your dad wasn't a great college student, you can find a better source of information about what it takes to be successful in college. You should consider suspect any other source of information.

Rely on experts. They are easy to find with a little research. After all, there's no reason to take stock tips from a homeless person.

Step #3 — Dethrone the Old Belief.

Simply state to yourself, "I choose not to believe this anymore. It's not true."

It might sound trite, but stating your intention has a profound effect.

Look for supporting evidence. Find some reasons and examples why this limiting belief is false. For example:

The person who told me this doesn’t really know.
I've never actually tried it for myself.
I've seen others that are less capable than me be successful at this.

At the very least, you should feel a sense of doubt about that limiting belief. If you don't, then keep coming up with more reasons. Get online and read some articles by someone you truly feel is an expert on the topic of your belief. Search for examples that the belief is false.

Now imagine, vividly and in writing, how much your life would change if you didn't have this belief in your life.

For instance, you could write a story or journal entry in present tense of today as if you never had that old belief.

Step #4 — Create a New Belief That Serves You.

This will be the opposite of the limiting belief, or at least something along those lines. Create a belief that will improve your life and support your ability to take action to make your life better.

Find examples to support this new belief. Any belief will be more stable if it has supporting information and evidence.

Research. Really try to prove that it's true. Imagine that you had to prove to someone else that your new belief is accurate. That should get you where you need to be.

Step #5 — Measure Yourself.

Each day, check yourself. How do you feel about your new belief? How do you feel about your old belief? Check your gut; it's a direct link to your subconscious.

Is your behavior changing?

If your beliefs change, the way you act and/or feel will change, too. Our lives and feelings are a manifestation of our beliefs. If your beliefs really have changed, your life will change as well.

Step #6 — Repeat.

Go back to your list of limiting beliefs. Keep working on your list of negative beliefs. Work through those items and continue to add new items to it.

You'll find that you'll discover new limiting beliefs as you start making progress on the old limiting beliefs.

As you experience new things, new limiting beliefs will show up. These are beliefs you didn't know you had until this point.

As you set new goals, new challenges will present themselves. As you learn and experience more, your objectives change, so the limiting beliefs you have will change, too.

For instance, maybe you’ll decide 10 years from now that you want to be a doctor; any limiting beliefs you have about being a doctor would then have to be addressed.

For me, it was to go from broke with $26 in my pocket to handyman. Then from handyman to copywriter. Then from copywriter to advising companies and 7-figure business owners on copy and strategy. I even spent a year running a full-service direct response marketing agency. Oh, and I also have a lucrative life coaching practice on the side.

In other words, this is a continual process. The better you get at it, the faster you can change or advance your life in the direction of your dreams.

Step #7 — Repeat the Repeat.

Continue examining your life for limiting beliefs and eliminate them. It’s like pulling weeds. No matter what you do, some weeds always pop up over time. Simply recognize them and get rid of them.

Repeat all the steps on a regular basis. As you set new goals or have new challenges in your life, repeat the process. It would be a great idea to sit down once a week and make a new list of limiting beliefs. You would be unstoppable.

So what? Why does all this matter, and is it worth the effort?

Yes, because limiting beliefs really do put our lives in a stranglehold. They can lead us to believe that we have limited options to deal with our challenges, or that we’re limited in doing new things.

These beliefs have profound negative consequences and letting go of them is one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

Our limiting beliefs come from a variety of sources: friends, family, teachers, neighbors, the media, and our own interpretation of the world and the events in our lives. In many cases, the source of the limiting belief truly had our best interests at heart. The people around us have a significant effect on us.

By examining those beliefs and asking ourselves some key questions, we can systematically let go of them. Unless we've experienced something numerous times, or we have the advice of an expert, we don't really have the knowledge to make accurate judgments about something. Be selective about whom you believe.

Installing a new empowering belief is similar to installing a limiting belief, except that the process has intention behind it. A new belief needs evidence to support it before it can be believed.

A new belief will leave clues in the form of new behaviors and different results.

Measuring yourself and your life is important. This measurement process is critical, both to see if the new belief is in place and if it is indeed an empowering belief.

By systematically going through all of your limiting beliefs, it’s possible to dramatically improve your life. Always remember that new limiting beliefs will occur over time, and it's important to check yourself for these new limiting beliefs.

Life can be relatively easy and simple. Deal with your mental obstacles, and you'll see those are the biggest obstacles you have.

Look at your limiting beliefs today — let them go — and your life will never be the same!

Are you ready to follow these seven steps? Tell us in the comments below what limiting beliefs you’re going to let go of.