For too many of us, we want to be the "rock"; we don't want anyone to think we have any weakness. This means we keep our problems and struggles to ourselves, we even keep them from those we love.
We want to be strong, but at the end of the day we're human. We go through highs and lows, and struggle with self-limiting beliefs. We tell ourselves things that hold us back from being the best men and women we could be.
These things may not be verbalized, we might not even be aware of them, but there are 10 things we have to stop telling ourselves if we want to live an amazing life.
These self-limiting beliefs are affecting us one way or another. They're paralyzing us and keeping too many of us from even thinking about taking action on our dream lifestyle.
They're keeping us in toxic relationships, they're keeping us at a jobs we hate, they're keeping us from moving to somewhere better, they're keeping us from being the best us we can be.
We have listened to them for far too long. It's time to get real with ourselves and stop settling in life. We only get one life to live and these self-limiting beliefs are keeping us from truly living it. Here are 10 lies that hold us back in life.
1. I'm not good looking
You may not look like a celebrity, but you don't have to. You're good-looking, and you need to know that. Confidence is an attractive quality, and there is someone out there for all of us. Don't listen to anyone that will tell you otherwise, they're wrong.
2. I'm not smart enough
Sure, not all of us are Albert Einstein, but we don't have to be. You may not be book smart, but you might be street smart. You may not have gone to Harvard, but you did get a degree from a state college.
You may not have even gone to college, but as long as you commit to always learn, you are as smart as you need to be. Brendon Burchard says, "An expert is a student first." Always continue to learn and better educate yourself about the things that you need to know.
3. I can't beat my fear
The fear of failure keeps too many of us feeling stuck. We're afraid to even try because we think we'll fail. Fear is a liar and a dream killer. You can't let it win.
C JoyBell C made a great observation about fear: "Don't be afraid of your fears. They're not there to scare you. They're there to let you know that something is worth it.">
4. I live a good enough life
You could go through life taking the safe road every time, but how boring is that? Life is too short to settle, and you only get one chance to live it. Don't let fear keep you from true freedom and living life on your terms.
I realize this is just a line from the movie Braveheart, but the words are true and powerful: "Why? Why is that impossible? You're so concerned with squabbling for the scraps from Longshanks' table that you've missed your God-given right to something better."
5. What other people are saying is true
There are negative people that will try to hold you back in life. They could be outright haters or just people that aren't comfortable with their life. These people will point out the 100 reasons why you'll never succeed. Don't listen to them, cut them out of your life if you have to.
6. It's too hard so I won't try
Making big changes isn't easy, but once you reach your goal, it will be totally worth the struggle. Change is hard, just like life, there's no easy road for most of us, but that's ok. The struggle teaches us to appreciate what we have once we get it. Even though it's hard, try anyway, that's how you learn and grow.
7. I don't deserve happiness
Difficult life situations, or decisions we've made in the past may have planted the seed in our mind that we don't deserve happiness. That is a straight up lie. No matter who you are, or where you're at in life right now, you deserve to be happy. More than that, you can be happy if you choose to be.
8. It will never work out for me
It may seem like everyone around you has an amazing life with no problems, that's just a front. We all have struggles, and it often feels like nothing will ever work out how we want it to. That's just a feeling that can be overcome with a mindset shift.
9. No one understands what I'm going through
What you're going through may be difficult, but I guarantee there's some other person going through the same thing. It's hard for us to open up and communicate, but keeping all those emotions bottled up inside could negatively affect your health. There is someone who understands, and there are great benefits in getting through it together.
10. This is as good as it gets
The quality of your life comes down to what you decide you want it to be. If you decide it will never get better, you won't take the necessary steps to make it better. Stop letting self-limiting beliefs keep you stuck in a life you hate. Decide that today is the day you're going to reclaim your life.
Don't listen to doubt, fear, or the negative voices of others. Make the decision that even though it's not easy, you're going to do what it takes to create an amazing life. You're going to live a life most people only dream of.
Don't get me wrong, truly living an amazing life is hard work. It's takes time and more perseverance than we think we have in us, but nothing is impossible.
Stop letting self-limiting beliefs keep you stuck in a life you hate. Decide that today is the day you're going to reclaim your life. Make that decision, but do something different, take action.
Are you letting self-limiting beliefs hold you back?
This article originally appeared on the Good Men Project.
Photo: Flickr/ Ed Schipul