How I Overcame My Limiting Beliefs as an Introvert

I used to use the fact that I’m an introvert stop me from doing a lot of things.

Watch the video:

I’d say “Oh I can’t speak in front of a crowd, I’m an introvert.”

“I can’t go to that event on my own, I’m an introvert.”

“I can’t speak up in meetings or In a group, I’m an introvert.”

Let’s just say all those “I can’t’s stopped me from doing all the things I really wanted to do. 

I wanted to be on video and start a YouTube channel. 

I wanted to speak in front of a crowd, I wanted to go to events even if I was alone, and I wanted to speak up because I knew what I had to say, was worth hearing.

But I simply couldn’t do it because I’d conditioned myself into believing I had limits. And one of those limits, was that I’m an introvert.

What is a limiting belief?

So let’s address something first, these limits I put on myself (and you probably put on yourself) have a name.

A limiting belief is a thought you have about yourself that you believe to be true but is actually holding you back. This belief is called a belief because you believe it. 

This isn’t just something you say, it’s a fundamental belief that you can’t seem to shake. 

It’s so ingrained in who you are, it becomes normal, it’s part of you.

My belief that my introversion was holding me back, was the result of years of conditioning by society, school, and the media. 

All of which were sending me messages that because I was an introvert, I was shy, quiet, antisocial, and above all else, absolutely not something to celebrate.

Any limiting belief you have works the same way. Let me demonstrate.

How a limiting belief works

Imagine an elephant in a circus. Have you ever wondered how it’s possible that such a huge beast is tied with a simple piece of rope and doesn’t try to escape?

That elephant, like other captive animals, was conditioned from a young age to believe it could not break free from that rope. 

Because when it was young and tied up it genuinely couldn’t escape, it simply wasn’t strong enough.

So after trying and failing so many times, the elephant gave up. 

Even when the elephant grew to its full size and could break free with a simple tug, it didn’t try. It had been conditioned to believe it wasn’t strong enough to do it. So it simply wasn’t worth fighting.

How I overcame my limiting beliefs

If you think about the phrases you use in your life, where you say things like I can’t or I won’t or I shouldn’t. 

Is there a limiting belief sitting proudly behind them? 

Is there a limiting belief stopping you from breaking free?

Once I realised where my limiting beliefs came from, I knew I had some work to do.

So I grabbed a piece of paper, wrote down all my limiting beliefs, and took a long hard look. My full list of limiting beliefs was long.

Once I had my list, I made a conscious choice to view the list not as the truth, but just words.

Words are easy, words can be changed.

So I crossed out the I can’ts and replaced them with I can. I added, chopped, and changed my limiting beliefs into new, fresh beliefs that apply to right now. 

And like that, my perspective changed.

I knew, from that moment forward, I could do anything I wanted, because there wasn’t anything holding me back, except my mind. 

My perspective changed

As for the trait I once hated… my introversion suddenly became something to embrace.

I wasn’t held back by being an introvert, that was all in my head. In fact, my introversion had helped me in life. 

It helped me forge strong and deep friendships, allowed me to see things from different perspectives, pushed me to look inside for answers and trust my own judgment. 

My introversion is what makes me strong and so I knew I could use it to reach others, share my story and my perspective too.

It’s at this point I’d like to leave you with a phrase I think applies to all introverts:

“I’m not my thoughts, I am what I do.”

So. How are you going to break your limits? It’s over to you.