Do you feel “stuck in a rut” or dissatisfied with your life but believe there is little you can do about it?

Do you want to move forward in life, but you don’t seem to be able to do so?

If so, you’re probably limiting yourself.

The good news is that you can do something about it. You can take control of your thoughts, change your beliefs, and take action to move your life forward.

Here’s how to stop limiting yourself in three small steps.

1. Tell Yourself You’re Capable and Competent

One way of limiting yourself is to say that you can’t or won’t do something.

When you start learning to do something, you’re a beginner. This is true for everyone. No one is 100 percent capable at first.

Everyone makes mistakes.

But you learn something valuable from each mistake you make. Over time, you gradually become more competent.

However, some people still believe they are incapable and incompetent even when they’re quite good, or even very good, at something.

They may be listening to the words of other people or they may be hearing voices from the past, which told them they were no good at learning new things or doing certain things. These may be the voices of teachers, parents, relatives or peers.

A good way of getting rid of this negative thinking pattern is to repeat the affirmations:

“I am capable and competent.”

“I am getting better at … all the time.”

Repeat these affirmations at least ten times, three times a day. Fill a page of your journal with each one, if you prefer writing them down.

Repeat the affirmations even if you don’t believe them at first. Over time, you’ll begin to believe these words about yourself, and your self-confidence will grow.

2. Believe You are Good Enough, Just as You Are

“I won’t get that job because I’m not good enough.”

“They won’t choose me for the work project, as I’m not good enough.”

“I won’t be able to make this dish as I’m not a good enough cook.”

How many times have you told yourself things like this? The underlying premise is that you’re not good enough as a person.

So, why not turn this around and tell yourself you are good enough, just as you are today.

You don’t need to be any better than you are. You don’t need to put yourself under any pressure.

Of course, you’re not perfect and you have strengths and weaknesses, but so does everyone else. You’re a human being and you’re equal to everyone else just because of that.

Accept yourself just as you are today. This isn’t easy to do if you’ve spent a lifetime listening to yourself and other people telling you you’re not good enough.

However, it is possible to be kinder to yourself and speak to yourself kindly when things don’t go as well as you’d have liked.

No matter what happens, you’re still a valuable person simply because of who you are, with your unique combination of qualities, skills and experiences.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Believe in yourself.

3. Keep Trying and Never Give Up

Do you ever say to yourself: “There’s no point in trying — I’m bound to fail!”

But, how will you know what will happen, if you don’t try? If you don’t try, you’ll never succeed. Your belief will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The answer is to carry on trying, no matter what.

Try, fail if necessary, pick yourself up, and try again.

You may need to repeat this process many, many times before you succeed. But you never know when something you try is going to lead to success. So, try it anyway. It’s worth a go!

If what you try doesn’t work out this time, you can try something else.

There are unlimited opportunities in life, but we see so few of them through our very limited vision. We need to develop 360-degree vision to become more aware of just how many wonderful possibilities are out there.

Even if you can’t see the opportunities, believe that they’re there. Believe that you’ll see them when the time is right.

You may not see a particular opportunity until the time is right for you — until you’ve grown and learned enough to take that opportunity.

So, don’t be discouraged. Keep learning and keep trying. You don’t ever have to give up.

As long as you’re alive, there will always be a new way, a new path or a new opportunity for you to take.

Each time you do so, you’ll be a little wiser, having learnt from each one of your past experiences. That will help you to walk into the unknown and explore whatever is there.

Move Forward with Your Life Today

Self-limiting beliefs can be quite deep-rooted, so it may take some time to loosen their influence on you. Try not to be discouraged by this. Instead, practice acting on your new, positive beliefs about yourself every day.

Try to take at least one small risk every day. You will feel wonderful after you do something you’re at least a little bit scared of — and next time, you’ll be less scared.

Remember Mary Kay’s words: “You can go as far as your mind lets you.” Re-frame your negative thoughts about yourself and your life, so that you can move forward at least a little further each day.