I’d need more than ten fingers to count the number of times someone has told me that they love cheese too much to give up dairy.

Actually, shhhh, quiet as it’s kept, I told myself those same words before I became a vegan (and gave up dairy cheese). Now, I’m not a vegan anymore BUT I subscribe to a dairy-free, meat-free, plant-based lifestyle.

I choose dairy-free cheese when I eat cheese at all because I learned that dairy cheese isn’t good for my body, and I don’t need dairy cheese to enjoy my food. And I’ve talked to others who’ve had similar experiences.

You know what that tells me?

It tells me that our life choices are totally wrapped up in our internal belief system – a POWERFUL belief system that can either limit our growth and keep us journeying down the wrong path or redirect our steps onto a more fulfilling one.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

How about you? Are your beliefs moving your forward in your life, or holding you back from realizing your goals and dreams?

Have you sabotaged your potential to lose weight, get that promotion, start a new career/business, stop smoking, or any one of a number of examples by allowing your self-limiting beliefs to keep you where you are?

It’s so easy to do, you might not even realize you’re doing it.

Some of my best examples of self-limiting beliefs appear on my run days. There are always a few of those little buggers that show up as soon as I lace up:

• I don’t feel like running today! (but I make it out the door)
• I absolutely CAN’T run 5 miles today! (then I run 10)
• I’ll NEVER make it to that tree! (I pass that tree!)
• I’m gonna have to stop to pee again! (Well that one is usually the truth. 🙂 )

But you see my point right?

If I allowed myself to believe what my mind was telling me at that moment, I’d never grow as a runner; nor would I have nixed dairy cheese from my diet, or disciplined myself to stick to a healthy eating plan that energizes me and keeps my weight down.

It is very possible to change your belief system – get rid of beliefs that no longer serve you.

AND HERE’S HOW …

1. An abrupt about-face: Clean slate! Get rid of the bad stuff to make room for the good stuff. Instead of telling yourself you’re too old to start a work-out program, go walk the dogs; start each morning with five squats. Instead of talking yourself out of starting a blog/business/new hobby, as soon as you think of it, Google it! Start gathering info on what your next steps need to be. Take action toward your goals! Replace the negative self-talk with positive talk; replace inertia with action. An abrupt about-face from the negative in your life leads you down a whole new path of beliefs – beliefs that will remove limitations and increase your opportunities.
2. Messages of affirmation: On my kitchen cabinets, my bathroom mirror, even on the ceramic flowerpot that houses on of my snake plants on my writing table, I have index cards with affirmations or positive quotes written on them. I learned that it’s not enough to just think about what you want in life; you need to think it, speak it, write it down and put it where you’ll always see it. That’s how you intensify your belief system. If you write down your goals and look at them daily, they become part of your everyday thoughts. What you focus your thoughts on, you become. If you focus on your belief that you can accomplish your goals, there’ll be no room for self-limiting beliefs to rear their ugly heads.
3. Discipline: Make it a daily, minute-by-minute habit to replace negative, self-limiting beliefs with positive affirmations. Don’t dawdle! As SOON as you become aware of those thoughts DERAIL THEM! Then immediately replace them with the positive affirmations you created in number two. Pray about your positive beliefs; meditate about your positive beliefs; make your beliefs part of your daily routine and give them your undivided attention a good portion of every day.

Think back to your childhood.

Children fall; get back up. The next day – or likely the next moment – they go after that same activity that made them fall; they fall again and get back up.

Somewhere along our life’s path, we adults lose that short-term memory and believe that one fall should define our whole lives.

It’s time to start believing in ourselves again.