This is an exercise I’ve done for years, and it’s helped me through moments of feeling down, depressed, anxious, stressed, or stuck. If you’ve ever felt like you’re not going anywhere, or like you’re trapped in a situation, this one is for you.
Why This Exercise Works
At the core of those difficult feelings is a story you’re telling yourself. There’s a narrative you’re holding onto about why you can’t be a certain thing, or why life can’t show up for you. The power of this exercise is that it doesn’t ask you to ignore those negative stories. In fact, it does the opposite.
Step 1: Write Down All Your Limiting Beliefs
Grab a journal or something to write with. On one side of the page, write down all of your negative beliefs about yourself. All the limiting beliefs as to why you can’t achieve certain things, why you can’t be somewhere, or why you can’t reach your goals.
And honestly? Make it juicy. Really relish in it. Make the story vivid and detailed.
For example, if you have a limiting belief that you are ugly and unworthy, and that’s why you can’t find a date—write it down. Make it specific. Is it because of your hairline? Is it because of something else? Really make the story so vivid.
Do you have a limiting belief as to why you cannot accrue wealth? Why you’re not abundant? Write that down too.
Keep writing, and make sure it is your limiting belief. It is what you’ve been holding onto. It’s the one you go to happy hour and complain to your friends about.
Step 2: Ask Yourself One Simple Question
Now for the fun part. For every single limiting belief you’ve written down, I want you to write one question:
“What if you’re wrong?”
Answer that question wholeheartedly. Really question all these limiting beliefs and narratives you’ve been holding onto. Ask yourself: what would your life look like if you were wrong about these things?
When I did this exercise, it gave me so much insight into what I’ve been projecting onto the world. I realized I was stopping myself from doing certain things just because of the narratives I’d been clinging to. And when I wrote down “what if I’m wrong,” I found so many answers.
What to Do With Your Answers
Often, the answers you find will be surprisingly actionable. You might realize:
- Maybe you can’t find a date not because you’re unworthy, but because your Tinder bio just sucks.
- Maybe you’re not accruing wealth not because you don’t deserve it, but because you haven’t learned a specific skill yet.
The simple act of reframing, of telling a different story, is one of the most powerful skills we can cultivate. If we keep thinking the same thoughts, we’ll keep perpetuating the same problems and seeing life through the same lens. The only real way to push ourselves into a realm of change is to be able to reframe our realities.
Life is a mirror of our inner thoughts. So if you’re constantly thinking you are a victim of life and that you cannot do something about it, that’s what will perpetuate itself.
A Final Thought
Try this exercise. It’s a really, really good way to question your limiting beliefs and to start seeing what’s possible when you let them go.
