This weekend I had to re-evaluate some of my ideas about who I am, and I was surprised by the outcome. I spent some time at a cider festival being held by my local taproom and over the course of it, I discovered that my assumption that I don’t like cider was wrong, I just hadn’t found the right one. I had believed that it wasn’t a drink for me based on experiences from over 20 years ago and I had never bothered to re-examine this belief since. After spending some time talking to some experts and tasting with an open mind, I now find myself with a new appreciation and knowledge for the world of apple-based drinks and therefore, a change in the story I have about who I am.
I shouldn’t be so surprised when this happens, as over the last ten years I have learnt lots of things about myself that I previously hadn’t made space for in my life. However, I can still be amazed by how the things that I experienced so long ago continue to inform who I think I am and what I think is possible (even though the life I am leading now would have been inconceivable to 20 year-old me). It is so easy to get stuck in these ways of thinking about ourselves, or what we are capable of and many of us let these beliefs go unchallenged. While a life without cider would not have been catastrophic, some of my other limiting beliefs would have got in the way of the life I have now, one which I love so much.
Often, the ability to challenge these old beliefs came from support I received from people around me. Sometimes this was as simple as someone telling me I was good at something I didn’t think I could do or inviting me to try something new. At other times it was from working through these old beliefs in therapy and not only deconstructing them, but in the space, they left behind finding something new. These days I try not to be too rigid in what I think is possible, and I’m a big believer in ‘for now’ decisions, although I can still find myself repeating old beliefs without question at times. What I do know is that I am capable of much more than I thought I was and that the boundaries of that will continue to change as I do.
What limiting beliefs have you (or would you like to) let go of?
What could grow in their place instead?
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