I first heard “Beliefs are always the only problem” from Steve Chandler, a fellow coach. And it blew my mind.
I could feel immediately that this was the key to everything.
And since my obsession with Law of Attraction, that knowing has only intensified.
Beliefs are always the only problem.
A belief is simply a thought you keep thinking.
It’s not etched in stone. It’s not the “truth”.
You believe all sorts of things. Many of those beliefs were instilled in you from a very young age about how the world works and your place in it.
Your parents instilled beliefs in you. Your teachers. Your friends. Institutions and society at large have instilled beliefs in you.
And that’s all OK. Whether those doing the instilling were well-intentioned or not doesn’t really matter at this point.
The point is: You create your reality. And you do this by thinking thoughts that have a vibrational frequency that the Law of Attraction is responding to.
These days I never think of a belief in terms of whether or not it’s “true”.
And I don’t give special weight to certain beliefs because of where they came from or how long I’ve had them.
Instead, I simply ask if the belief serves me. Does it enhance me and my life? Does this belief allow me to create a life I love?
- If the answer is “yes”, that’s a thought I want to keep on thinking.
- If the answer is “no”, then I don’t want to keep practicing that thought.
I promise you, it really doesn’t need to be more complicated than that. Does your belief serve you?
“You do not allow because you do not believe. What you believe regarding anything that you want is extremely important—for you will allow only within the boundaries of your beliefs. And so, in many cases your beliefs must be altered to harmonize with your intentions.” —Abraham
I’m going to share 8 limiting beliefs along with a possible reframe for each one.
How could your limiting beliefs be holding you back from the life you want? Let’s look at a few examples of beliefs and how they are the only problem. I want you to see the power in shifting from beliefs that don’t serve you to beliefs that do.
Belief #1: I’m not motivated enough.
Reframe: I’m a dynamo for the right goal.
Think about what kind of energy you have when you think you’re not motivated enough. Does this thought make you feel good? No, it doesn’t. And we know feeling good is key to leveraging Law of Attraction. Feel the shift in energy by choosing, instead, to think I’m a dynamo for the right goal. That feels very different, doesn’t it? They are both beliefs. You get to choose which one you believe.
Belief #2: I don’t have enough connections.
Reframe: I’m expanding my network one conversation at a time.
What reality do you create when you walk around thinking you don’t have enough connections and your network is deficient. Do you feel the shift in energy when you believe you’re expanding your network one conversation at time?
Belief #3: I’m not athletic.
Reframe: When I move my body, I feel like an athlete.
Again, it’s a shift in energy from the original belief to the reframe. The original belief is about coming up short while the reframe is empowering.
Belief #4: People will judge me.
Reframe: Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.
I like this reframe a lot. So many of us, myself included, are overly concerned about being judged. Well, you probably are being judged and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. It’s freeing to embrace the notion other people’s opinions are none of your business. And since freedom is high on the emotional scale, there’s a nice shift in emotion with this new belief.
Belief #5: Somebody has already thought of this.
Reframe: I’m going to put my unique stamp on this.
I hear this belief a lot when someone is creating something. There’s this worry or fear that everything has been done before, so what’s the point. Again, I’m sure you can feel the difference in possibility when we go from the original belief to the very empowered I’ll put my unique stamp on it.
Belief #6: I’m too old to make a career change.
Reframe: I’m never too old to reinvent myself.
The I’m too old… is one of my pet peeves because it’s such a disempowering belief. There are lots of reframes possible for this one, but I’ve noticed many clients getting newfound energy from a new belief around the possibility of their own reinvention.
Belief #7: Mistakes and failure are bad.
Reframe: Mistakes and so-called failure are my greatest teachers.
Oh my. We probably all know what it’s like to walk around with the belief mistakes and failure are bad, bad, bad. To be avoided at all costs. Which holds us back in so many ways. Reframing mistakes and so-called failures as learning opportunities definitely lessens the fear and anxiety, doesn’t it? This reframe is empowering and optimistic and moves us from something dire to possibility.
Belief #8: I can’t because I have kids.
Reframe: “I can’t” is not how I’ll teach my kids to start a sentence.
Kids might not be your particular limiting belief, so feel free to swap kids for any other “ I can’t” limitation you’re believing—aging parents, your age or finances, you live in a small town, you’re single, you don’t have a college degree. The point of the reframe, as always, is choosing a belief that serves and enhances you, rather than limits the reality you can create.
I hope these examples have helped bring awareness to your own beliefs—and how reframing limiting beliefs is key to manifesting what you want.
“That which you think, in any moment, attracts unto itself other thoughts that are like it.” —Abraham
Think about what that means in terms of your beliefs. Because your beliefs are attracting other thoughts that support your beliefs.
If you believe you’re not worthy of success or love, then that belief, that thought on a loop, is attracting other thoughts like it. Imagine the energy drain of that belief! Imagine what you’re attracting with the belief you’re not worthy.
Now here’s something interesting I’ve noticed about worthiness.
Most of us want to say, Oh, of course, I think I’m worthy. But then we put conditions on our worthiness. The way we actually think and feel and act is:
- I’ll be worthy when my business is more successful.
- I’ll be worthy when I reach my ideal body weight.
- I’ll be worthy when I get organized.
“You are perceptual beings with different vantage points and it does not matter how much information is given—you cannot see beyond the vibrational limits of where you are standing. You cannot live or see or experience outside of your own individual beliefs.” —Abraham
That quote is cautionary tale if I’ve ever heard one.
Abraham is very clearly saying you cannot create anything in your life that your beliefs don’t support. Or another way to say it: You will only be able to manifest things in your life that match up with your beliefs.
A belief is only a thought you continue to think; and when your beliefs match your desires, then your desires must become your reality.” —Abraham
The question to ask yourself is this: Do your beliefs match your desires?
Because if they don’t, then you’ve got some work to do.
Your desires will never become reality if you don’t let go of limiting beliefs and embrace beliefs that do match up.
Here’s a simple exercise to do: Think about something you’ve been wanting.
- Maybe it’s a goal you want to achieve or a shiny penny you want to acquire.
- Maybe it’s an experience you want to have or a state of being you want to embody.
Whatever it is you have been wanting, get it front and center in your mind. And then I invite you to be curious about your beliefs around your desire.
Only you know what you really believe about anything. And your beliefs are not always based on the words you’re saying or what you’re presenting to the outside world.
No, beliefs are an inside job.
So what do you really and truly believe about your desire?What are the thoughts you keep thinking about what you want?
If you’re like me, you’ll probably find beliefs—again, beliefs are are just practiced thoughts—that are in opposition to your desire. You’ll probably find a belief or two—or even a whole slew of beliefs—that are hindering the manifestation of your desire.
- If you want more abundance, but hold the belief money is evil or corrupts, you will not attract abundance into your life.
- If you want a successful business, but believe that will only happen if you work long hours and hustle, then that’s exactly what it will take to manifest your successful business.
- If you want better health, but hold the belief someone your age can’t be healthy, then you will not attract good health into your life.
I really hope we can all stop putting beliefs up on a pedestal as if they need to be treated with kid gloves, as if they are unchangeable, as if they hold some special power over us.
A belief is only a thought you keep thinking. And beliefs are always the only problem.
“What you are living is the evidence of what you are thinking and feeling, every single time.” —Abraham
If you want to live something new, something different, then be willing—in fact, be eager—to change your beliefs that don’t support the reality you want.
“As you imagine and visualize and verbalize your new story, in time you will believe the new story, and when that happens, the evidence will flow swiftly into your experience. A belief is only a thought you continue to think; and when your beliefs match your desires, then your desires must become your reality.” —Abraham
