Does accepting limiting beliefs remove them?

[quiethumir]

If what you resist, persists, and what you accept you gain power over... then does accepting a limiting belief cause you to gain power over it, or remove it?

[CoolBee]

Interesting question.

One of the difficulties with limiting beliefs is knowing you have one in the first place. So, let's do an example:

Suppose you have a limiting belief "I'm no good at maths, it's all gobbledygook to me"
So, next time you are faced with something where this belief bubbles up, say - I dunno - doing your tax return:

Old you:

Action:

See form (or even the envelope).

Reactions:

Feeling: a big knot in your stomach, your heart starts beating a bit faster, your breath a bit shallower, slightly nauseous.
Self-talk: "I'm no good at maths, this is all gobbledygook, but I have to complete it, but I can't. I don't understand it".

Action: Push the form to one side (or don't even take it out of the envelope!) and go and do something else instead.

New you:

Action:

See form (or even the envelope).

Reactions:

Feeling: a big knot in your stomach, your heart starts beating a bit faster, your breath a bit shallower, slightly nauseous.
Self-talk (1): "I'm no good at maths, this is all gobbledygook, but I have to complete it, but I can't. I don't understand it".
Action (1): Look straight ahead, take some deep breaths, and consciously work on releasing the tension in your neck and belly.
Self-talk (2): "I can understand some of it. I know much money I earned, I know where my receipts are, I know how to do addition and subtraction and I know how to follow instructions, let me see how far I can get in 1 hour, taking it step by step. Let me get all the things I need together."

Action(2)

Prepare a workspot.
Get a notepad, pen and calculator.
Get the box with your receipts and all your relevant income information (pay slips, bank books, whatever it is that you have)
Fetch a cup of tea or coffee.
Put the cat out of the room so she doesn't decide to 'help' you by acting as a paper-weight.



Action (3)

Put receipts in order and add whatever it is that you need to do with them
Work quietly for an hour.



Dunno, how does that feel, I feel better already

I think the thing with a limiting belief is to pick away around the edges - they tend to be 'all or nothing', so by accepting it, you can pick away and say "OK, overall I'm very unattractive - but in this photo here, I look ok, at that party there Jim said I was looking good" etc etc so I'm not ALWAYS unattractive to other people even if I think I am"

[wstein]

Accepting beliefs does not remove them, this includes limiting beliefs. It just means you are no longer ‘denying’ having that belief.

Resisting beliefs gives them ‘energy’ making them much harder to deal with. Now instead just a belief, you have to deal with a lot of energy reinforcing that belief.

Accepting a belief that you already have also allows you to deal with your situation from a much more effective realistic frame.

Accepting a belief that you only mistakenly assume you have, is obviously a step in the wrong direction if you want to remove it.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

If what you resist, persists, and what you accept you gain power over... then does accepting a limiting belief cause you to gain power over it, or remove it?

It depends if the limiting belief is true or not. Either way, the truth can be accepted.

[AaronB]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

If what you resist, persists, and what you accept you gain power over... then does accepting a limiting belief cause you to gain power over it, or remove it?

In my experience accepting does not apply to beliefs, only to feelings. Believing is an activity of the mind, and one belief is often being exchanged with another as time passes. Rather than watching and analyzing whatever the particular verbiage is floating through my mind, I find it far more helpful to be aware of how I am emotionally responding. When emotions are allowed to flow freely to the point that there is no urgency to avoid them, the beliefs associated with that emotion work themselves out.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by quiethumir

If what you resist, persists, and what you accept you gain power over... then does accepting a limiting belief cause you to gain power over it, or remove it?

Shining the light of awareness on a limiting belief, and seeing it for what it really is (an outdated habitual thought pattern), is a great first step in dissolving its power to run you. Distinguishing the old belief's positive purpose, and getting in touch with more sophisticated resources for serving that purpose, is an excellent next step, and can often be all it takes to make you laugh to notice you used to believe you needed it.

[bbl]

If I answer the question I express another a belief, or perhaps influence your belief. The act of asking comes from searching for a belief isn't it?

[quiethumir]

Thanks guys for the insightful replies

[Moriarty]

Originally Posted by bbl

If I answer the question I express another a belief, or perhaps influence your belief. The act of asking comes from searching for a belief isn't it?

Now thats wisdom!