Beliefs are an interesting thing, aren’t they?

Beliefs are a state of mind in which you regard a thing to be true. It makes sense that if you regard a thing to be true, you’re more likely to take action consistent with that belief.

Some beliefs support us to open and grow, while others keep us stuck. At times, you may wonder why you’re not quite getting the results you seek even though you’re taking action. Staying stuck often stems from an unconscious belief.

Even the most seasoned and successful entrepreneurs can have a belief they don’t realize is holding them back or no longer serves them. They just know something is off.

The key is to become aware of what that belief is serving. It’s usually designed to protect us, keep us “right” or avoid pain. Sometimes it’s a matter of bringing awareness to it that’s in our blind spot and gently shifting it so that you see it, reframe it, and take action consistent with a possibility.

What Limiting Beliefs Sound Like

Some limiting beliefs are subtle or based on assumptions or conclusions, like

• “They don’t care.” I see this happen when people run up against an obstacle sometimes to justify their inaction around a goal or refusal to reframe a situation.
• “I only have a limited time for personal development away from my work week.” “I can’t possibly take off two days, a week, or more.” I hear these phrases when people have a belief around investing in their own personal development or self care.
• “If I start a business, they will come.” (A frequently seen belief when someone transitions from an employee to an entrepreneur, assuming that getting clients is requires nothing further than hanging an open-for-business shingle).
• “I’m not enough.” “I’m not doing something right.” “They underestimate me.”

Imagine if your action was aligned with any one of these limiting beliefs. If you have the belief of “they don’t care” running in the background, what do you bring into each conversation with that person you believe doesn’t care? “I can’t possibly take off two days from my work.” You will never invest in your own personal development that can drastically change how you operate in the world. “They underestimate me,” then work proving them wrong. That’s a lot of energy focused on a limiting belief rather than a positive possibility.

How Limiting Beliefs Can Develop

Here’s how a belief can develop. One of my clients had a long and successful career at a corporation. She successfully climbed the corporate ladder and got the itch to start her own business.

As an employee, she was conditioned to churn out projects in a certain way. The process she followed included having her projects reviewed by several levels, changed multiple times, and re-worked before launching it. Over time, she developed a belief that this is how you launch projects.

When the time came for her to launch her new eBook that educated her prospects on her proprietary Signature Process, she kept getting stopped before she even started. She got overwhelmed with the project saying, “it’s going to take a long time.” Underneath that notion, was her employee belief that her eBook needed to be “perfect” before launching it. She applied a belief that worked in a corporate structure in her entrepreneurial pursuit.

As an entrepreneur, if you wait until your product is “perfect”, you may never launch at all. While you want to make sure your product is a good one, too many revisions will slow you down and stop you before you get started.

I asked her, “What is possible if you launched your eBook, then improved it after you received some feedback from the people who downloaded it?” There was silence, then a breakthrough.

With this newfound awareness, she decided to keep the format of her first eBook simple. Instead of waiting to launch a “perfect” edition, she decided to get feedback from early adopters and invite their feedback through her launch process, helping her to create an improved offering in future editions.

While her employee-minded belief worked to navigate the corporate environment, she now has access to a new entrepreneurial belief to empower her to accelerate her results. Instead of waiting, she’s creating an eBook that invites feedback and engages her prospects.

While she’s building a following, she’s simultaneously building a better product and filling her prospect pipeline. Beliefs are an interesting thing, aren’t they?

Invitation

If you are inspired to differentiate your company from all others who do similar work, I invite you to Create Your Signature Program on May 19-20, 2022.