In order to change your life and business, you must first change your thoughts and limiting beliefs that are holding you back.
When I was working a corporate job that I hated, I felt so stuck and had no idea how to make the transition from an employee to entrepreneur.
When I first started my online business, I was so scared to show up online because of the fear of people judging or mean comments online.
After over 5 years of full-time travel and content creation, clearly the limiting beliefs about what was possible with my life and business have changed, and I’m so excited to share with you how you can overcome yours.
The good news is that once we identify limiting beliefs, we can work through them!
What are Limiting Beliefs?
Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts you think that limit your full potential.
Whether it’s worrying that we don’t have enough experience or comparing ourselves to others, these feelings often surface during critical times on our entrepreneurship journey.
While self-doubt is a totally natural instinct, limiting beliefs can have significant negative impacts on our business. But once you learn to overcome them, it can quantum leap your business.
What are some common examples of limiting beliefs in business?
Here are the most common limiting beliefs I see my students and clients hold, at one point or another on their business journeys. Here’s the limiting beliefs list:
- Someone else is doing better than me
- The market is too saturated
- I’m not good enough
- I don’t have enough experience
- I’m not ready
- I’ll never be one of the best
- It’s (my content/product/service) not perfect
“Someone else is doing better than me”
Comparing ourselves with others is a natural instinct that follows us through school, college, work and beyond.
In the social media era, it is something we simply can’t get away from.
In business, it often coincides with moving out of our comfort zone.
Not only can these thoughts destroy our self-confidence but they can also prevent us from seeking new opportunities or trying new things.
Rather than allowing this feeling to consume us, remember to not compare yourself with others.
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Do not compare your Chapter 1 with someone else’s Chapter 20.
Oftentimes, we compare our journeys to experts in the industry, and think we cannot possibly achieve what they have done.
But the good news is, having experts only shows you that it IS possible.
And if you go back to the first piece of content they created, ever, you will see that they started as a beginner as well.
As proof, head over to my Instagram and try to find my first ever post. It’s definitely cringe-worthy but every single person starts from somewhere!
“The market is too saturated”
With so much competition out there, it can sometimes feel very overwhelming to even get started.
But that’s because when we first start out, it is normal to look for obstacles. It’s our minds trying to protect us from failure and discomfort.
The belief of a saturated market can quickly become a barrier that prevents us from pursuing our business idea altogether, but we need to fully recognize that it’s only a BELIEF that lives in your mind only.
When we start to challenge this thought, that is often when we see the opposite can also hold true.
That there are gaps in the market, especially as a personal brand because no one else on this earth is you.
Also, what my clients usually tell me as an oversaturated market is only because they are fully passionate and invested into it themselves.
I can list hundreds of travel content creators because I’m in the industry, but I can only name maybe 2 or 3 fitness and nutrition content creators.
I can name a total of 0 car content creators, but my husband can probably name a ton.
Which means, if you create a business around fitness or nutrition or cars, there are definitely going to be people (like me, and many others) who are just hearing about you for the first time!
Turning this around and adopting a growth mindset is a skill that can benefit you for years to come.
“I’m not good enough”
“I’m not good enough” is a common feeling that often stems from other limiting beliefs on the list.
The culprit? Perfectionism.
It goes without saying that entrepreneurs are perfectionists, especially the creatives.
Most of the time, we are our own worst critics. And there’s an inner mean girl whispering negative thoughts in the back of our minds.
Thinking you’re not good enough causes you to not show up fully. To not get started, hit post, or do things that will take your business to the next level.
What you can do to combat this is to set goals for yourself, and break them down into mini actionable steps.
Maybe you want to make $10,000 in a month with your business.
Instead of saying, “I’m not good enough to make $10,000/month,” start by setting achievable targets first:
- Making your first sale
- Sharing your first piece of content online
- Taking an online business course to learn how to get there
I’ve helped hundreds of clients of students get started and scale their online businesses. If they can do it, you can too!
“I don’t have enough experience”
As entrepreneurs, self-doubt can often feel like our closest friend.
There is always someone in the field who is more qualified or has been in the industry for longer. In fact, sometimes it can feel like everyone has an advantage over us.
If we’re not careful, this feeling can leave us questioning our own abilities.
When we experience a setback, it can also prevent us from bouncing back.
We then develop a lack of confidence which shows up in our communications with others.
Instead of falling into the comparison trap once again, we need to bring it back to thoughts we can control.
Make a list of all the skills you have, all the experience, talents, and things that make you unique. List out what you’ve spent your time doing, whether that’s travel, reading books, caring for pets, or anything that makes you more experienced than someone just starting out.
If you don’t have any experience at all, you can always learn and get started.
But I guarantee you “not having enough experience” is a self-imposed limiting belief that has to change!
“I’m not ready”
Starting out as an entrepreneur is never easy.
Leveling up in entrepreneurship is never easy either.
Doubting our capabilities stems from a fear of success that can lead us to put things off, and these are often the most critical things we need to do.
In a worst-case scenario, this belief can prevent us from getting off the ground or taking action altogether.
Take some time to figure out why you may be feeling this way.
It could be due to lack of clarity, lack of guidance, or fear of failure altogether.
Once you discover the source, you can put together a plan that will support your business goals and screaming “I’m ready!”
“I’ll never be one of the best”
This crippling thought is often the result of other limiting beliefs on the list.
For example, if you continuously compare yourself to others and feel like you’re not good enough, then your mind is likely to be filled with negative emotions.
The problem with entrepreneurs is that we are constantly moving forward.
We reach one goal and head straight to the next without really recognizing our achievements. We have a constant desire to be the best.
Over time it can lead to severe burn-out.
The answer? Shift your focus onto your achievements.
If we put our attention on the journey rather than the end goal, we will lead a far more fulfilling life all round.
You have probably already come a long way over the past year. Focus on your wins and you will continue taking action and end up as one of the best.
“It’s not perfect”
If your product, service, or content doesn’t live up to your expectations, then there is a chance it will never get off the ground.
It will never be seen, it will never be consumed, and you will have sabotaged your success without even giving it a chance.
While it’s important to feel confident, your business is unlikely to be perfect at the beginning and that’s completely ok.
In fact, that’s actually ideal. Having a perfectly imperfect product, service, content, and business means that there’s room for growth.
If we strive for perfection before we begin, we risk never getting started at all.
Done is better than perfect.
Instead, I would like you to adopt the mantras done is better than perfect, and progress over perfection.
Being an entrepreneur involves a lot of trial and error, and a lot of learning.
I constantly look back at my old content and and see all its flaws. But I’m sure most of my audience doesn’t even remember, and doesn’t even care!
In fact, I would be more concerned if I looked back on my content from years ago and didn’t see flaws. That would mean I haven’t progressed from a beginner.
Don’t be scared, just do it.
Identify Your Own Limiting Beliefs
Did any of the limiting beliefs resonate with you? The first step is to identify the ones that are holding you back.
Once you can pinpoint exactly which thoughts are limiting your full potential, that is when we can start changing them and adopt new beliefs.
Changing what we believe will change our feelings, which will change our actions, which will change our reality.
If you need support to tackle limiting beliefs and level up your business, I would love to help! Check out private coaching here.
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