6 Ways you hold yourself back

With unlimited choices now available to us, many of us may feel under pressure to make the most of each day. Maybe we fear that we’ll miss out or we’re wasting time if we’re not living our life’s purpose and as a result we can be left feeling unfulfilled and dissatisfied with our lives.

Instead of going after what we want, we may often find ourselves stuck in a rut without knowing what is keeping us there.

If you’re feeling this way, here are 6 ways you may unknowingly be holding yourself back.

1. You put yourself down

Do you find yourself saying any of these negative phrases to yourself?

I’m not good enough
I don’t deserve to have what i want
Things always work out for everyone else

If you frequently put yourself down with statements like the above, you automatically hold yourself back from seeing your own potential.

The next time any negative thoughts come up, challenge them with statements such as ‘What if I am good enough?’, ‘What makes me believe i am undeserving?’, ‘What if things did work for me?’ Challenging your statements helps you to step outside of the current beliefs you’re holding instead of accepting them as a part of your reality.

2. You fear failure

Are you so terrified that you may fail that you don’t even allow yourself to get started? Changing your perspective by viewing failure as an opportunity for you to learn and grow can help you to feel more comfortable with taking small steps towards what you want rather than being paralysed by fear.

When i am scared that i may fail, i read motivational autobiographies or speeches from those i admire, and it helps me to make peace with the fact that failure is part of the process of growth, when i view it that way – it stops me from running away from it, and instead feeling more comfortable with being able to move through it.

3. You don’t trust yourself

Do you constantly second guess yourself? Your ideas? Your thoughts?

Maybe you have stopped going after what your heart says because you’ve been burnt by negative past experiences.

Holding onto past experiences limits you from embracing new opportunities and keeps you stuck in feelings of doubt and fear – which stops you from taking action in the now.

The next time you find yourself second guessing your thoughts, question whether it’s coming from a place of your past fears or it’s your gut instinct and learn to recognise the difference between them both. When you learn to trust your inner knowing, it can lead you towards what benefits your highest good, instead of allowing fear to run the show.

4. You fear change

Are you afraid of making changes? maybe you are scared of the unknown?

Often we may crave change, but the fear of the unknown may stop us from pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones or trying anything different which keeps us on a hamster wheel!

Reframing change as a positive can help you to feel more comfortable with it; maybe you can start by making small changes with different foods, wearing different coloured clothes or visiting new places. Learning to associate change with positive experiences can help you to become more comfortable when considering making bigger changes.

5. You’re waiting for ‘someday’

How many times have you told yourself any of the following?

– When I lose weight I’ll be able to…..
– I’ll wait until next year before i get started…
– I need to practice a few more times before I’ll be able to…

When we wait for the ‘perfect time’ to arrive before we get started, we fall into a trap which stops us from taking action and keeps us procrastinating. The next time you find yourself saying ‘someday’ change your statement and add a deadline to your plan so you are clear on when you need to take action!

6. You’re a shelf development addict

I have been a victim of this myself in the past. Maybe you stock up on self development books or hop from one course to another, hoping that this will be the ‘thing’ that makes a difference.

Sadly, if you aren’t applying what you’ve learnt into your daily routine you hold yourself back from creating change. When you commit to applying what you’ve learnt with new habits or getting the relevant awareness required – you put yourself in a much stronger position to make a real difference in your life.

Becoming aware of the beliefs and behaviours that hold you back, helps you to move past them and make positive changes that move you closer towards what you do want, and further away from what you don’t.

If you want to find ways that you can get unstuck so you can make positive changes in your life. Download my free guide here

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