My Highest ROI Habit

A way of observing my world that helps me believe in myself

This year, one of the most valuable habits I developed was my ability to notice, label and abolish my limiting beliefs.

Limiting beliefs are like tripping on your shoelaces and stopping your journey entirely. Instead of realizing you should tie your shoes, you build a narrative to believe there was an immovable, indestructible, permanent boulder that stopped you. You tell yourself it was impossible to continue. But there wasn’t a boulder. You just tripped.

Limiting beliefs stop you from summiting the mountain, finishing the race, shooting the shot (that you’re absolutely capable of). It’s when you, not the world, not someone, not something, stop your adventure.

Look: every great adventure has moments of doubt; but that doesn’t mean your adventure has to end because of a moment of doubt.

And yet what happens when we start our day on the wrong foot? It’s ruined. When we haven’t taken a math class in years? I can never learn how to manage my finances; I’m not a math person. When all our relationships have ended in infidelity? I am not worthy of loyalty; I don’t believe in relationships.

Belief is the most powerful force in our control. Enabling beliefs are the basis for discipline, respect, determination, imagination and creation. Limiting beliefs are the basis for giving up, blame, laziness, criticism and destruction.