What are we waiting for? How do we STOP our limiting beliefs?

Someone told me a while back that I should publish my thoughts, start a blog, write more, speak more. My response was, "Not me." Then I read somewhere (I’m paraphrasing) that there are two types of people in this world; super successful, wealthy doers, and the underrated, overlooked, overthinking, somewhat content folks. Ha, again this is my interpretation of the two types.

I'm a firm believer that words, when carefully arranged with purpose, speak meaning into those that read/hear them. I've heard these words arranged several different ways, at several different points in my life: "If not you, who? If not now, when?" Each time I hear them I'm motivated, but that's about the extent of it. At least until recently, when I had the opportunity to ask a group of professionals with over 150 years of combined experience these important questions. Do you know what it takes to accomplish your primary goals in life? If so, are you working toward them? If not, what are you waiting for? The answers I got were interesting but not surprising.

So why this article?

I was listening to “Focus On This,” a podcast about being productive, and they said there are three primary limiting beliefs that are holding you/us (myself included) back.

Those primary limiting beliefs are: Limiting Beliefs About Yourself, Limiting Beliefs about Others, Limiting Beliefs about the World.

(A quick disclaimer, the rest of this article I plan to paraphrase, summarize and put in my Greg Hedgepeth layman's terms.)

#1. Limiting beliefs about ourselves go something like: I never had, so I’ll never have. I’m too old to go back to school. I don’t have the time. I didn’t come from a place where opportunities were available. I don’t run in the right circles. I'm too… (I think you get the point). I read somewhere that 85% of the world's population are affected by low self esteem. Whoa...!

#2. Limiting beliefs about others: “They” don’t want me to succeed. The infamous “they”! Enough said there… honestly it’s this undoubting belief about someone or some group that just can’t stand to see you/us win. The phase "They don't want..." was around long before DJ Khaled made this mindset a trending social media hashtag, that's for sure.

#3. Limiting beliefs about the world: This one I’m guilty of at times. We take an isolated experience and make it a general rule or have these narrow views about what we can offer as value to the global market and all of society. There are too many (x) already in existence—too many businesses, non-profits, speakers, teachers, coaches, etc... how am I going to be any different? The world won't understand my WHY, or they may not accept it.

Here’s the whole reason for my long post. STOP IT! It's time we stop doubting our abilities. Stop downplaying our talents, knowledge and experience. Stop caring what everybody else will say, think and/or do! STOP IT!

I end this article similarly to how I began it. I'm a firm believer that words, when carefully arranged with purpose, speak meaning into those that read/hear them. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.” If that one didn't do it for you, Steve Jobs once said, "The greatest artists like Dylan, Picasso and Newton risked failure. And if we want to be great, we’ve got to risk it too." So I ask, what are we waiting for?

There are two types of people in this world; super successful, wealthy doers, and the underrated, overlooked, overthinking, somewhat content folks. There are three primary limiting beliefs that are holding you/us (myself included) back. Once we realize them, admit and own them, what are we going to do to STOP these beliefs from keeping us from all that HE designed us to be and do? Here’s my step one…#wearesubstantial and so is our purpose.