I got to spend 4 days with my tribe in Montreat, North Carolina. Montreat is best known for being the home of Billy Graham, a prominent figure in the Christian community. We also stayed in a beautiful house owned by Wade Burns, a civil rights activist. Being surrounded by all these accomplished believers, one can’t help but think about having faith, however you define it.
Part of the discussion during the retreat was about self-limiting beliefs: would we be able to survive them and ultimately how to overcome them. When Sanjay and I started the company back in 2002 we had no idea where it would go, but we did have faith in our ability. We had no idea how, but we had faith that it would be successful. Don’t get me wrong, there were days when we had our doubts, especially in the early days and then again during the downturn in 2008, but our vision was always clear and our faith never wavered.
Limiting beliefs, like the self-doubt that comes with any entrepreneurial endeavor, could have held us back. However, in many cases these are just stories we all tell ourselves even before we attempt to do the task. Can you imagine, convincing yourself that you are going to fail at something before you even try? We all have these self-limiting beliefs, and it’s important to identify them.
For the most part I am introvert, I don’t volunteer things about myself, but if you ask a question, I will answer it honestly and openly. Part of the reason that I don’t volunteer things about myself is because I don’t believe that I am that interesting, how is that for a self-limiting belief?
Here is a way to get over it…write down why you believe what you believe, then read it out loud, do it again…you will eventually begin to laugh at how ridiculous that belief is. My friend’s response to my belief was “you’re crazy”! They might be right- with my beard, I just might be the most interesting man in the world, but only because it’s full of secrets ?
“You are what you believe yourself to be.” – Paulo Coelho
Have a limitless weekend
Vijay