Building Self-Esteem Through Self-Improvement

Self-limiting thoughts stop many from reaching optimum performance in their lives and careers. What are self-limiting beliefs? Simply, they're negative self-perception that reside in subconscious and conscious rooted in previous negative experiences, reactions by others, judgements by society, and even personal messages from the mass media (or cyberspace). These self-limiting beliefs cause one to perceive life in a manner that is unfavorable. As a result, one may have difficulty achieving goals, improving job performance, being happy, making relationships with others and achieve success in various areas of life.

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It is not uncommon to have some self-limiting beliefs. We all possess them and it's often difficult to change them due to the habitual formation of messages we receive and the reinforcement of societal and cultural expectations. In addition, if you find yourself consistently performing below your best, this may be due to a self-limiting belief.

One of the most common self-limiting beliefs is the belief that: I can't do this won't work. This can be an extremely limiting belief since it prevents you from doing the things in which you are able to do. It's an unhealthy self-limiting belief because it prevents you from trying something new and different. Additionally, this unhealthy belief is rarely 100 percent accurate. It is possible to have an unhealthy self-image but possess all the abilities and skills to be successful at any task.

One way to help combat self-limiting beliefs is to create as much self-appreciation and self-belief as possible. Begin to see all of your successes as a result of your own efforts and dedication, rather than because of some "thing" outside of you. While it is true that you cannot do everything, you can do almost anything and there is no limit to what you can accomplish. In order to achieve success, you need to do just that: take the action necessary to make it happen.

It is also important to develop new beliefs and new ways of approaching things so that you can begin to remove self-limiting beliefs. The first step to getting rid of old negative beliefs is to determine what they are based on. This may be something very specific that you have told yourself over the course of your life. For example, if you tell yourself over again that you're not smart enough to start a business, you may have developed certain bad self-image beliefs. You can determine what these are by asking yourself questions like, "If I was smart enough to start a business, why wouldn't everyone else be as successful?"

After you have identified the self-limiting beliefs, you will then need to develop healthy new beliefs. The first step in this process is to identify any behaviours or thoughts that are limiting your success. It could be anything from negative self-talk to limiting beliefs about money, success, time, etc. Once you have identified the things that are keeping you from succeeding, you can work towards removing them or replacing them with new healthy self-fulfilling prophecies.

Once you have developed new self-fulfilling beliefs, you will need to work hard to maintain those ones. Many people simply quit when their old self-limiting beliefs are not serving them as well as the new ones that they have created. If you find that something in your life is holding you back from success, it's important to work hard to remove that thing. For instance, if you believe that you do not deserve success, you might try to convince yourself that you have been wronged by life or someone else. By constantly reaffirming your self-limiting beliefs and arguing that you are a victim of circumstances beyond your control, you will eventually remove that belief. At first this may take some practice, but as you keep doing it, you will notice a reduction in your self-blocking and hindrances

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Self-improvement starts with you making the decision to believe in yourself, to take action, and to build on your core strengths. Once you begin to work on these aspects of your life, you will be surprised at how fast your self-beliefs improve. Remember that it takes time to change your limiting beliefs, so don't expect to make massive changes overnight. However, with consistent effort, you will gradually eradicate your self-limiting beliefs, and you will then be on your way to achieving the success and happiness that you truly deserve.