I was working with one of my clients the other day and he shared that he didn’t think he had what it took to perform a senior level role. This is a person who has accomplished a lot in his career. Even though we detailed out his background and all the things that he accomplished, he still struggled to feel like he was qualified. This is how strong a belief can be for a person. Even with all the facts in front of them, they still don’t believe that they can do it.
Beliefs are one of the most common things to look at when someone is stuck and can’t move forward. Some of the beliefs that you hold become your beliefs without you even realizing it. Someone criticized you or told you couldn’t do something and it became the story that you told yourself from that point forward. Sometimes we tell ourselves these things to keep us safe and in our comfort zone.
If you pursue something in your comfort zone that you have done before, the belief is going to be: “yes I can do this.” But what if it is something new that you wanted to do? Now, what beliefs is it triggering for you: ” I am not qualified to do this. I may try it and fail. People will judge me for doing this. I don’t have enough experience. They would never hire me because I haven’t had a title at that level before.” These are just a few examples of the negative beliefs you may have.
What if we chose to believe something different? What if the belief statements demonstrated a positive more confident view of who you are? Here are some positive belief statements about this change: I am great at learning new things and I will figure out what I don’t know, I am ready to try something new and learn new things. I am going to try this and be successful at it. I know I can perform well in this role and take on this new responsibility.
In order to change the negative beliefs, you will need to be aware of them and question if they are really true. The takeaway for you is to look at the stories and beliefs that you tell yourself. Are they real? Are they truly how you feel? Appreciate the fact they may be protecting you, but they also may be holding you back. Once you know what your beliefs are, you get to make the choice to keep them or change them into new beliefs that may help you move forward.
