Limiting Belief #13: I’m Not Smart Enough
In the last lesson, you learned how to let others help you reach your goals faster and easier. But even with the help of others, you could be severely limiting yourself if you think that you’re not smart enough.
This limiting belief has the potential to keep you from trying many new things. You feel like you’re not smart enough to achieve a particular task or goal. Like you don’t have the necessary intelligence to accomplish what you truly want to accomplish. Like you’re lacking the needed knowledge to get something done.
Maybe this belief was instilled in you from a young age by an unkind adult. Maybe you struggled with particular tasks in school which made you assume that you just weren’t a smart person. Or maybe you heard your parents say this about themselves.
Your limiting belief is that you aren’t smart enough to do what you really want to do.
This belief can keep you from even trying to do new things. You can feel so intimidated at the thought of trying to learn something new that you won’t even start. You feel like your supposed lack of knowledge is a handicap and that if you were only smarter you could do what you wanted.
Rewriting The Limiting Belief
Now let’s rewrite this limiting belief with a set of empowering beliefs.
Limiting belief:
●“I’m not smart enough.”
Empowering Belief:
●“I’ve accomplished so much already in my life.”
●“If I wasn’t smart, I wouldn’t have gotten this far in life.”
●“I have an incredible ability to learn.”
●“I can do anything I set my mind to.”
This limiting belief is false on so many levels. First and foremost, you truly are much smarter than you realize.
Think of all you’ve already accomplished in your life. If you weren’t smart, you wouldn’t have been able to achieve all that you have. Your past successes prove that you’re smarter than you think you are.
Second, you have an incredible ability to learn. Consider all the things you’ve learned to do over the course of your life. Your brain is a sponge, and you’re able to learn almost anything you set your mind to. Even if you don’t have the knowledge to accomplish a particular task, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it.
Your new belief is that you are incredibly smart and are able to learn anything you set your mind to.
This changes the way you approach new tasks. Instead of fearing having to learn things, you eagerly anticipate the challenge. Instead of doubting yourself, you’re confident in your ability to tackle any task. You know that you’re very smart and that no task is too complicated for you to learn.
Action Steps
●Make a big list of things that you’ve accomplished in your life. Include little things, such as learning to ride a bike, and bigger things, such as learning your current job.
●Any time you’re tempted to doubt your intelligence, go back to that list to remind yourself of how smart you really are and that you have the ability to learn anything you set your mind to.
Affirmation
I am highly intelligent and accomplished. I have already achieved many things in my life, which proves my intelligence.
Whenever I need a clearer understanding of something, I am able to quickly learn it, grasping all the nuances of the subject.
I refuse to doubt my intelligence. I know that I am smart enough. I embrace the fact that I am naturally smart and able to accomplish anything I set my mind to.
Looking Forward
Now that you’ve conquered many beliefs that limit you, it’s time to get started moving toward your goals with excitement and confidence. But wait – what if a limiting belief keeps you from getting started in the first place? No worries! We’ll get you moving in the next lesson.