What are Limiting Beliefs
What are Limiting Beliefs?
The two biggest reasons why entrepreneurs fail to even begin, or to overcome obstacles, are Fear and Limiting Beliefs. The quote above is from Jordan Belfort in "The Wolf of Wall Street", and on the surface, it basically sounds like he is chastising the people that justify their inability to succeed at something with one excuse or another . But really, it goes much deeper than that, if you really take a moment to think about it. When it comes to motivating people, there are TWO (2) governing factors: People Will Do Things to Experience Pleasure. Or, people Do Things to Avoid Pain. Within that framework, other "Laws of Behavior" also operate. For instance: The Majority of People are Reactive, rather than Pro-Active. They will take as much as they can tolerate. When making a change, they will follow the Path of Least Resistance. The reason I wanted to lay this out in front of you first is simple. In order to really understand Limiting Beliefs, you need to understand Motivation. Keeping in mind the Laws of Behavior, of course. The Root Cause Of Limiting Beliefs
Our brain has not evolved much in several tens of thousands of years. We don't really think that much different from our cavemen ancestors. We know a lot more, but in terms of thinking, its pretty much the same. In other words, our logic circuits are still what they used to be in the stone age. Life was not as easy then, as it is now. In those days, there was no supermarket. If you wanted to eat, you had to hunt. By the same token, you had to avoid those who hunted you. As you aged, you would lose the ability to provide for yourself and your dependents. People were also more survival-driven (selfish). The result was very low life-expectancy. So, from an evolutionary point of view, our brain was primed to trigger self-preservation early-on, through Fear and Pain. In order to survive, our brains interpret things that we NEED for survival in terms of "pleasure". Our bodies, for instance, want to be at a certain temperature. Too much heat is uncomfortable, and too much cold is uncomfortable. When we are hungry, it feels uncomfortable. Fulfilling those needs creates a feeling of pleasure, which we instinctively want to continue to experience. Lacking a NEED triggers a deep discomfort, a form of "pain". We then tolerate it, until we can't. At that point, we are forced to do something to change the circumstance, and end the pain. At this point, we have reached our "Action Threshold". Actions such as showering (vs heat) or covering up (vs cold) or eating (vs hunger). This is very different than wanting something. Wanting is when something would be nice, but it can be lived without. A NEED is a pervasive requirement that demands satisfaction (or prevention). What is an "Action Threshold"? Our Action Threshold is the point at which a "Pain Point" can no longer be tolerated. - C O N T I N U E S - Read the full article
