As insightful as William Shakespeare was when he observed that “All the world’s a stage,” he was equally unimaginative when he added “…and all the men and women merely players”—for the complete opposite is true! You are, in fact, the star player on that stage.
Because the drama playing out on that stage is your life, you are also the playwright, director, producer, choreographer, and props manager.
And, perhaps most importantly and often most overlooked, you are the prompter—that unseen person, hidden in the floodlights at the foot of the stage who is always ready to quietly prompt you with your next line or direction when you need it most.
Why then do you feel like a mere player? And why are you stuck, settling for whatever comes along in life, never getting what you really want? If the drama playing out on that stage is your life, why are you not in command?
It’s simply because you’re unaware of what’s really stopping you in the first place:
- your limiting beliefs
- what they are, and
- how they affect you
You are probably familiar with the way circus elephants were trained not to escape. But do you fully understand why it worked?
The circus owner would put a length of chain around a baby elephant’s neck and drive a stake through the end of the chain and into the ground with sufficient strength to prevent the baby elephant from being able to pull free, no matter how hard or how long she tried.
As the elephant got older, the owner would increase the size of the chain and stake to effectively exceed the increasing strength of the growing elephant, continuing to prevent her from being able to pull free, no matter how hard or how long she tried.
Eventually, the elephant would grow strong enough that no chain or stake would be strong enough to hold her, but simply having a length of chain around her neck and a stake driven through the end of the chain and into the ground would keep her restrained.
What then held the elephant captive?
Having grown up conditioned to believe that she couldn’t pull the stake out of the ground, no matter how hard she tried, the elephant stopped even trying.
How can you identify your limiting beliefs that stop you from even trying? And what can you do about them once you identify them?
Try this simple exercise:
Think about something that you would love to do or have in your life. Notice the first thought that occurs to you that tells you why you can’t do or have it.
Write that thought down exactly as it usually occurs to you (you’ll start to realize it’s almost always the same thought that comes up, regardless of your changing intentions or desires.) As you read what you have written, despite the fact that it sounds true to you, understand that you are in fact staring at the chain around your neck and connected to a stake in the ground.
Now flip it—turn your thoughts upside down!
For example, say you notice that you always think, “Whenever something improves, even a little, I know it won’t last and will only get worse.”
This a limiting belief that keeps you from even trying to do or have what you really want. Now flip it. Start by taking key words or phrases and find their opposites.
“Whenever something improves, even a little, I know it won’t last and will only get worse” might become “Whenever something improves, even a little, I know it will last and will only get better.”
Notice how this flipped thought makes you feel. Initially, it may seem silly, untrue, or even overwhelming. However, just as you’ve been conditioned to believe the lie of your limiting belief, as you repeatedly read the flipped statement, you are reconditioning yourself to believe your truth.
As you begin to feel yourself starting to believe the truth of the flipped thought, you begin to understand and believe in the truth of who you really are, the power of your thoughts, and how they move you to action.
You will find that as you keep reading and gaining a deeper understanding of the truth of your flipped limiting belief, you will keep enhancing and expanding it.
“Whenever something improves, even a little, I know it will last and will only get better,” may become “Positive changes, big and small, always last and only get better.”
That can turn into “Any positive changes, big and small, always last and only get better,” to “All positive changes, big and small, always last and only get better,” until you start believing and acting on “I am safe welcoming all positive changes into my life as they grow, flourish and last.”
Let that most important and often most overlooked part of you shine through. The unseen part of you—hidden deep within you—that is always ready to quietly prompt you with your next line or direction when you need it most. Begin listening for and heeding these promptings. They are your intuition, your inner guidance, your truth.
Start writing, directing, producing, and starring in the life of your dreams!
