What is a limiting belief? Do you have any? If you do, and most of us do, how can you get rid of them so that you can soar beyond and reach your goals? Read on to learn more about getting rid of the limiting beliefs that haunt and restrict us.

Limiting beliefs can be things we consciously think, such as a poor opinion of ourself or our abilities. On the other hand, they can be subconscious thoughts. Many of us had damaging words programmed into us while we were young. Often it was our parents, and they had no intention of giving us mental baggage we would eventually need to unload. For instance, if they got frustrated and called you "knucklehead" frequently, you may have a hard time overcoming the idea that you aren't very smart. The reality may be that you have an excellent IQ and ability to learn

In order to find our best life, we all need to identify and get rid of those limiting beliefs we have. One way to do this is to think about the goal we are pursuing. Maybe you are trying to succeed as a musician or artist. What happens when you say, "I am a great musician"? Does your conscious mind argue back? If so, you probably have limiting beliefs about your ability.

However, if you're trying to make it as a musician, you probably already know that you're pretty good. It just somehow feels wrong to affirm that we're good. Try lifting your evaluation of your own abilities by about 10 or 15 percent. The goal is not to become overbearing and prideful, but to gain confidence and security. Think well of yourself.

In addition to doubting our abilities, many of us have limiting beliefs about the possibility of the goal ever being in our grasp. For instance, we may feel like there is too much competition for us to ever make it in a particular field. Or maybe you have the idea that the only people who succeed are those who know influential people who can pull strings for them. This is a false notion, but makes a good excuse for not trying to reach that goal.

If you analyze your beliefs about yourself and about the goal you are pursuing, and discover limiting beliefs, what should you do? If you let them continue to drive you, you will probably never get much closer to the goal than you are now. Take some time to think about how the belief is wrecking your chances at success. Then work toward replacing limiting beliefs with positive affirmations.

For instance, if you feel like only people from rich families can succeed, remind yourself of all the successful people who came from humble beginnings. Then begin to affirm that if he can make it, so can I. If you have a limiting belief that you are not very intelligent, remind yourself of a good grade you got, or a hard test you passed. Begin to list difficult things you managed to learn. For instance, have you learned to drive a car with a standard transmission? Have you learned how to use a word processing program or cruise the internet? Then you are smarter than you think Rejoice in the fact!