Monday, November 12, 2007

The Success Principles ~ Principle 33


Principle 33 of Jack Canfield's Success Principles is transcend your limiting beliefs. As I work through and consider these principles, it is clear that there is a theme that underlies many of them: your thoughts affect your life. In this chapter Canfield posits that you can overcome any limiting belief and provides a 4-step process to support you in doing so.

Step 1
First, identify a limiting belief that you want to change. This one I find a bit challenging at times because I think the real limiting beliefs are the ones that you don't see, the ones that are a blindspot on your radar. Hmm... perhaps that's a limiting belief in itself. I'll choose that one as one I want to change. So, the belief I want to change is that the beliefs that most limit me are the ones I am not conscious off, making them impossible to change.
Step 2
The next step is to determine how these beliefs limit you. So for me, thinking that I can't identify my strongest limiting beliefs disempowers me greatly. It leaves me stuck and helpless against an invisible and thus unpenetrable wall.

Step 3
Then you decide how you want to be, act or feel. I want to believe that I can transcend my limiting beliefs even if I don't know what they are. (It surprises me that I didn't write down that I want to belive that I know and/or can know them all, but that's not what came out of my fingertips)

Step 4
The process ends with creating "a turanround statement that affirms or gives you permission to be, act or feel this new way." I guess I came up with mine already: I can transcend my limiting beliefs without knowing what they are.

Now, I don't know whether this statement is "true." And I don't know if it's going to in fact help me transcend my limiting beliefs. But I can tell you that whereas my previous take on the subject made me feel both hopeless and powerless, when I think of the new statement I feel like it's possible. And I bet that counts for something.

6 comments:

rebecca said...

Beautiful picture, interesting theory. I may have to try that. Which limiting belief should I pick? hmmmm....

Melissa said...

Stunning photo - I am going to have to pick up Canfield's book sometime. I am SO glad you ping'd me on NaBloPoMo - I love your site!!!

Suzie Ridler said...

How do you see your blindspot? It is a conundrum isn't it? I think by believing it's possible to make it possible is genius Jamie! If anyone can, it's you.

My limiting belief is that writing is painful and torturous and I will always hate it. I've obviously proven to myself that it isn't true because blogging is fun and easy. But to me, it isn't real writing. I haven't figured out what real writing is yet though, LOL.

Michelle (a.k.a. la vie en rose) said...

feeling empowered always counts for something!!!

Anonymous said...

meandering over from nablopomo... your photos are quite wonderful. wishing I could hold the camera that still! a very positive blog you have here, ispirational.

Ashley Anne said...

I wonder if Canfield's "limiting beliefs" are similar to Ellis' "irrational beliefs" that are at the core of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy(REBT)? Ellis' book, Guide to Rational Living, is pretty interesting if you haven't read it. I'm still working on getting a grasp of all the techniques, but I like the idea that our happiness/mood/etc are not determined by external factors, but how we interpret those external factors. Common sense, but I for one know I am not always very rational at all!! I will have to look into this book as well-thanks!