Breaking Through Barriers: Overcoming Limiting Beliefs with Coaching
Limiting beliefs are a major area of focus within personal coaching as they are not only very common, but are also a leading reason behind why individuals struggle to fulfil their full potential. Just like other mental roadblocks, limiting beliefs can be challenging to overcome, requiring self-awareness as well as practical techniques to identify and combat. In the following blog, we delve into the potential origins of limiting beliefs, how they can impact day-to-day professional life, as well as how coaching can help to overcome these beliefs.
What is a Limiting Belief?
A limiting belief is a negative assumption about oneself that hinders the pursuit of opportunities or engagement in activities. Common examples include something like ‘I’m not good at speaking in front of people’, a statement that would then prevent the individual from engaging in any public speaking activities. In many cases, the statement is actually completely untrue and founded from an assumption or past experience that has been carried into the present.
Where Do Limiting Beliefs Come From?
Many limiting beliefs originate in childhood or the early adult years. School peers & teachers as well as close family & friends have a great deal of impact in developing an individual’s world view with off-hand comments or minor experiences often forming the basis for these limiting beliefs. Maybe a teacher mentioned that I wasn’t good at a subject, or my friends joked about having not having a certain skill; these moments can become ingrained in your memory and carried into adulthood.
Of course, not all limiting beliefs originate in childhood, there are plenty of examples where limiting beliefs are created due to a painful experience, causing you to fear similar encounters. These are a bit more challenging to overcome as they have a foundation in personal experience rather than an assumption.
The Impact of Limiting Beliefs in The Workplace
Even though limiting beliefs are very much a personal thing, they can also have a major impact in the workplace. Negativity is proven to reduce team morale and dampen creativity, which are both key factors in creating a productive environment that delivers on organisation targets. Furthermore, team members with strong limiting beliefs are less likely to be as vocal in contributing ideas or making full use of their abilities within their role. By questioning limiting beliefs and enforcing positive behaviours that counter these negative thoughts, teams are often able to become more productive assisting to create a positive working environment.
Breaking Barriers with Coaching
Coaching is very effective at overcoming limiting beliefs by providing individuals with a structured environment to challenge their thought patterns. A coach can help to identify these self-imposed barriers and the language/narratives that keep these in place. Through a series of exercises and questioning, a coach will help individuals build self-awareness while implementing new, affirming beliefs.
Get in Touch with Persyou for Coaching
Persyou provide coaching for teams with an emphasis on breaking limiting beliefs and encouraging productivity. Find out how we can help to support your organisation by getting in touch with a member of our team.
