What\u2019s one thing you want to do but are too afraid to take action on because you believe you’ll fail? Why do you believe that this endeavor is doomed to fail? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People see their limitations as proof of their inability to succeed. But when you believe you can\u2019t improve, it prevents you from even trying. Therefore, the first step to overcoming your limitations is to get yourself to believe that you can. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this article, we’ll explore three methods you can use to overcome your (often self-imposed) limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The first step to overcoming your limitations is to make yourself see that you are capable of achieving successful outcomes. In his book Psycho-Cybernetics<\/em>, author Maxwell Maltz prescribes three methods you can redirect your mind towards success: 1) turn challenges into opportunities, 2) reflect only on the facts, and 3) forgive and forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A challenge is any situation that takes you out of your comfort zone. It\u2019s important to see this type of situation as an opportunity<\/em> rather than a crisis<\/em>. Maltz argues that negative personalities often confuse challenges (opportunities to advance) with crises (life-threatening situations) because they\u2019re so sensitive to external stimuli and perceive threats to be bigger than they are. They find excuses to avoid challenges, and they waste time and energy worrying or evading discomforting situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maltz argues that when you feel stressed or anxious\u2014such as when you see a challenge as a crisis\u2014you\u2019re less able to think clearly, find solutions, or react appropriately. Your anxiety literally shuts down your brain and your ability to deal with situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Maltz, positive personalities recognize the difference between an actual crisis and a challenge. In contrast to the negative personality\u2019s tendency to freeze up, they proactively seek ways to overcome challenges, and they spend their time visualizing and planning how to make the best out of every situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Positive people<\/a> are more relaxed<\/strong>: Maltz claims that the more relaxed you are, the more effective you are at dealing with pressure\u2014you\u2019re more able to think clearly and react appropriately and spontaneously to situations that come up. Consequently, if you visualize yourself responding to challenges while in a relaxed state, you\u2019ll be more able to respond to real challenges as and when they come up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maltz argues you can turn any situation into an opportunity to improve your self-image. The more you practice relaxation and successful visualization, the more likely you\u2019ll be able to perceive challenges in your life as opportunities. He suggests doing this by planning ahead for challenges as much as you can by taking the time to investigate your fears and visualize yourself responding to situations calmly and competently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you\u2019re thinking about applying for a new job but you feel nervous about getting to the job interview stage. Maltz argues that your negative feelings signal that you haven\u2019t mentally prepared yourself to meet your circumstances, and you\u2019re reactivating memories of past failures rather than memories of past successes. To move past your fears, ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use your answers to better prepare yourself for this challenge\u2014imagine yourself interacting in various job interview scenarios and pre-empt the various questions that may be asked. Practice responding to these questions calmly and confidently\u2014overwrite your fearful thoughts by practicing feeling successful<\/em> at this job interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This state of calm and confidence will carry over into any<\/em> challenge you meet, not just the job interview\u2014this process trains your mind to calmly solve all problems, and to confidently respond to every new situation and challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maltz argues that your negative feelings (anxiety, discomfort, lack of self-confidence) are not an indication of reality, just how you feel <\/em>about reality\u2014and those feelings are a result of your habitual thought process. That is, if you habitually think negative thoughts, you\u2019ll often misunderstand events and draw false conclusions that keep you stuck in a negative feedback loop<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you feel negative thoughts, feelings, or memories surface, choose to replace them with rational thoughts that encourage positive beliefs. For example, if you find yourself feeling insulted by someone\u2019s comments, Maltz suggests that you ask the following questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maltz explains that one way you can train yourself to focus on facts and take control of how you react to situations is by delaying your response to stimuli. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you consciously delay your response to a stimulus, you interrupt the automatic reaction of your subconscious and give yourself the chance to objectively view the fact, instead of getting caught up in your automatic emotional reaction. This delay gives you the space to calm down, take conscious control over your emotions, and decide how you want to respond. The more you practice delaying your negative reactions, the more control you have over your ability to respond positively and create positive feedback loops<\/a>. Eventually, you\u2019ll find that things that once triggered you into negative emotional states will no longer have any control over you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way you can take control of habitually negative thought processes is by making an effort to think rationally<\/em>, not emotionally, about your mistakes. Maltz stresses that you should never identify with, or think emotionally about, your mistakes<\/strong>. The only time you should think about your mistakes is when you\u2019re using them constructively, as a rational guide to help reorient yourself towards your goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggests asking yourself logical questions about the facts<\/em> of the situation as a way to force yourself to focus on figuring out the real cause of your mistake and your goals instead of focusing on identifying with the mistake. Further, questioning yourself rationally helps you to immediately seek solutions to the mistake so you can bolster your potential for success in the future. This process will turn every mistake and failure into an opportunity to learn and break your pattern of responding negatively to situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you failed an exam. You could either mope around and identify with the failure: \u201cI failed my exam (fact), therefore I am a failure (cause).\u201d Or you could just state the fact: \u201cI failed the exam,\u201d and seek the real cause by asking yourself logical questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout his work as a plastic surgeon, Maltz noticed that many of his patients suffered more from \u201cemotional scars\u201d than they did from real physical flaws. Some of his patients failed to see the changes in their appearance after surgery because their self-image was so strongly fixated on an imaginary flaw. Maltz concluded that emotional scars<\/a> are the real cause of distorted and negative self-images, and the only way to move forward is to release them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Emotional scars\u2014otherwise known as psychological trauma\u2014result from situations that threaten your sense of emotional or physical safety<\/a>. Psychologists argue that your subjective emotional experience of a situation defines whether you find it traumatic<\/strong>\u2014the more powerless you feel, the more likely you are to feel traumatized and form an emotional scar. This links back to Maltz\u2019s argument that the self-image determines responses to the environment: Someone with a positive self-image<\/a> responds to life experiences rationally. In contrast, someone with a negative self-image responds to the same experiences irrationally, is more likely to feel threatened, and form emotional scars.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maltz argues that an unwillingness or failure to forgive past mistakes and traumas holds people back from experiencing success in their lives\u2014they form \u201cemotional scars\u201d to protect themselves from future hurts and humiliations. These scars don\u2019t protect them, but rather prevent them from experiencing new things and keep them trapped in a state of resentment and misery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forgiveness, on the other hand, heals these emotional scars and allows you to move forward with your life. You need to accept that we all make mistakes and it\u2019s okay\u2014no one\u2019s perfect. Holding onto blame only holds you back from success. Forgiving yourself<\/a> and others for past mistakes will liberate you and allow you to focus on where you want to go<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more you practice feeling successful and self-reliant, the less sensitive you\u2019ll be to external circumstances (the things that happen and how people react to you). The more you practice responding to experiences rationally, the less likely you\u2019ll be to form new emotional scars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What\u2019s one thing you want to do but are too afraid to take action on because you believe you’ll fail? Why do you believe that this endeavor is doomed to fail? People see their limitations as proof of their inability to succeed. But when you believe you can\u2019t improve, it prevents you from even trying. Therefore, the first step to overcoming your limitations is to get yourself to believe that you can. In this article, we’ll explore three methods you can use to overcome your (often self-imposed) limitations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,9,43],"tags":[526],"class_list":["post-52422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motivation","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-psycho-cybernetics","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nMethod 1: Turn Challenges Into Opportunities to Improve Your Self-Image<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Prepare to Move Past Your Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method 2: Practice Reflecting <\/strong>Only<\/em><\/strong> on the Facts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Delay Automatic Responses<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Seek Solutions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Method 3: Forgive and Forget<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n