Have you ever considered that what you think about the Universe, might also impact your YOUniverse? What about approaching life with scarcity or abundance – do you believe there’s enough success and opportunity for all, or not enough? How about circumstances that occur in your life – do you reflect internally about them, or do you tend to look to external forces to explain them?
A growing body of data supports that how you view the world around you and perceive your own abilities can dramatically impact the kind of possibilities you experience. What we believe about ourselves can simply be the opinions that we are reflecting onto the world around us – for the positive or negative.
Are You Weighing Yourself Down?
When we recognize the power our perspective can have on our possibilities in life, it becomes incredibly important to identify limiting or negative external and internal beliefs – ones that get in your way and weigh you down. Consider some of the limiting beliefs or labels that you’ve woven into your personal narrative. Whether through outside sources, or ones that you have personally created, it’s time to reevaluate the toll the weight of these negative narratives can take on your journey forward.
Unfortunately, it is not always easy to put down our personal limiting luggage and walk away. We have created a life around this bag of beliefs. So, we keep lugging it around —even though it is not doing us one bit of good. Lots of big stuff can be in this bag, most of it being larger self-destructive constructs we have created over time (some linking all the way back to childhood) about what we can or cannot do in life because of who we are or are not and what we have or don’t have. This bag can also include small habitual statements many of us use daily. Small negative self-talk can be just as destructive as big limiting beliefs. For example, in a moment of personal frustration, is your self-talk, “I am so stupid” or “That was so stupid”? Be careful what you say after your “I am’s”—your subconscious is listening.
Self-talk is powerful and not just in a negative way; it can be harnessed for positive outcomes as well. Research has shown that the things we say to ourselves can help us stay focused and motivated. In fact, positive self-talk often enables being able to visualize a strategy to successfully achieve desired outcomes and goals. That’s right, the first step to achieving a goal often includes visualizing what you want, reinforce to yourself that it’s possible, and believing the opportunities are there for you.
Fight the Urge to Overpack
Unfortunately, it isn’t always as simple as it seems. Just like packing for a trip, it’s too easy to pack too much and difficult to cut down. But, why? Like any bag that we overpack, there may be some stuff in there that’s handy, but we all know it’s not really needed. How can limiting beliefs be “handy” you may ask? Well, if those unflattering labels or narrow ideas you have concocted about your potential were true, you “get to” continue to use them as excuses to not consider or go for any of the wonderful possibilities in life beyond your current bag of beliefs. Let’s face it, it will require some personal responsibility and change if you decide to own the fact that your true potential may be a whole lot bigger than what’s in your bag.
Commit to shedding the unnecessary weight and baggage you’re carrying around. Maybe it’s time to choose to look at the world around you with a lens of abundance; choose the perspective of limitless possibilities; and see what happens.
In the very least, if you would leave behind that big bag of negativity, you will be traveling on your life journey with a lot lighter load.