High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 163: Challenging Your Limiting Beliefs

Episode Date: March 7, 2018

“Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.” ―James Cook High performers challenge their limiting beliefs.  They know that moving beyond our limiting beliefs is a critical first step in our success. We attract more of what we need in our life. Every day, they are working to believe in their potential. This Week’s Power Phrase: “I challenge my limiting beliefs! I choose empowering beliefs to keep me excited and passion about my life, work and sport.” Dr. Cindra Kamphoff is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Speaker and Author. She provide mental training for the Minnesota Vikings along with many other championships teams. Cindra speaks to and works with CEOs, businesses and organizations on how to gain the high performance edge while providing practical strategies that work. Her clients range from Verizon Wireless to Mayo Clinic Health System. Cindra's first book: Beyond Grit: Ten Powerful Practices to Gain the High Performance Edge was published in August. Her Ph.D. is in sport and performance psychology and she is a Professor in Performance Psychology at Minnesota State University. To book Cindra for your next speaking event, visit: cindrakamphoff.com For more information about Cindra's book, visit: beyondgrit.com 

Welcome to High Performance Mindset with Dr. Sindra Kampoff. Do you want to reach your full potential, live a life of passion, go after your dreams? Each week we bring you strategies and interviews to help you ignite your mindset. Let's bring on Sindra. Dr. Sindra Kampoff with us for High Performance Mindset on The Country Club. Good morning, Sindra. Good morning. Thanks for having me today. Glad you made it in. I bet it was a gritty drive to get here today, right? It was gritty. I had to go a little slow and be extra careful. Right. I want to jump right into this today.

I like this topic, challenging your limiting beliefs. I think this is a great one for parents to listen to with kids that are in school or athletics and things where they have to go and, you know, perform, so to speak. And for those of us that really, really kind of dream about achieving bigger, better, higher things in life for ourselves, we always like to start with a quote, and the quote is a good one. Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again. Love it. Just because somebody says you can't do it doesn't mean you can't,

and I like that quote. So a good example for us to start with today? You know, my family has started this new tradition in the last couple of months of watching a Sunday night family movie. So it's pretty fun. We just all kind of watch it together. And last night we were watching Cool Runnings. Nice. Classic movie. I think 1993 is actually when that movie came out. But the movie is about four Jamaican bobsledders who dream of competing in the Olympics. And there's three track and field athletes who won trips, the other two in the dream of competing in the Olympics. And there's three track and field athletes who won trips,

the other two in the race to qualify for the Olympics. So they try to reach their dream in a different way and being, you know, the four Jamaican bobsledders to go to winter Olympics, even if they've never seen snow. So it's a really fun movie. But as I was watching this, I noticed all the kind of limiting beliefs that were happening and what people were kind of telling them that they couldn't do. You know, they couldn't find a sponsor because,

you know, people didn't think that they would be successful. And they even had to overcome their own limiting beliefs that they could make it happen. So I thought it was a good story just to kind of help us remind us of that these limiting beliefs can come from anywhere, ourselves and other people. So what exactly do you mean then by limiting beliefs for those of us that want a little more specific definition? Yeah, I mean like a belief that constrains you in some way. It's usually about yourself or others or the world. And they're typically kind of broad statements that only exist in your head.

They really work to keep you in your comfort zone. They can self-sabotage you. And I think there's a lot of limiting beliefs we're not even necessarily aware of, but they're beliefs that we operate by that are limiting us. Any good examples you can throw at us? I just want to ask, how is it different from your answer? Is it kind of the same thing? Oh, sure. I would say like your automatic negative thoughts, they pile up and they become beliefs. Okay. Okay. So it's some examples. So a belief that I'm not smart enough, or I don't have the ability to do that,

or I don't know enough of the right people, or I don't have time, I don't have enough resources. It's just kind of too late for me to change that. I can't do anything right, or I have too many responsibilities to kind of follow that goal or dream. It seems like those are things that can happen to us quite easily.

Our mind likes to trick us into thinking that. So how do we address these beliefs when we now notice them? That's one thing that's hard to do is catch them, as you would say, and notice them. So how do we do that? I think the limiting beliefs can seem so normal that you don't even notice them. Sometimes we can think that they're like facts, but they're really not. And so moving beyond your limiting beliefs is actually one of the first steps

in reaching your potential. And I think it's a constant better understanding of your beliefs so you can push through them. And I think when you do that, that's when you open more doors for yourself and you attract more of like positivity and opportunity in your life because you're not holding yourself back.

Excellent. So let's talk about people that are good at handling this stuff. Successful people handle their limiting beliefs. How do they do that? They work to reduce them, and they work to not limit themselves and their ability, and they're paying attention to what their beliefs are. They know that they can rewire them.

I like this quote by Lewis Hayes, and she said, if you accept a limiting belief, then it will become a truth for you. So you don't have to accept it. So do you have a way to consider what our limiting belief is? Like, how do we figure that out? So in my book, I talk about, I give this statement and then a way for you to end it. And the statement is, you know, I believe I can't expand to my greater potential because blank and then fill that in. So, you know, I believe I can't expand to my greater potential because blank. And then fill that in. So, you know, I believe I can't expand to my greater potential because of blank. And I was thinking about all of the ways that I hear people answer this question.

And it might be about their background or their responsibilities or sometimes in sports, its size or, you know, their age or their ability, their knowledge, sometimes their looks, their gender. So I think there's lots of ways that we can limit ourselves without even realizing it. So let's say we find it. Let's say we say, you know what, I can't do that because I'm too old. I've always done it the same way. What's the first step for us to address a limiting belief? You know, the first step is really to become aware of it. So either by answering that prompt, you know, I believe I can't expand to my greater potential because of blank, or even just writing down what that limiting belief is and just gently acknowledging it.

No reason to judge yourself, but just, you know, notice it, for example, and then notice how it's like holding you back. So for example, you know, if you're thinking I can't do anything right, that actually leads you to give up and not take risks and keeps you stagnant. So what do we do next? The next thing is you just want to ask yourself, do I want to hold on to this? And if you don't, just realize that you can replace it with a new belief. Remember that belief is not the truth. There's lots of reasons where lots of ways you do things right, for example. And then, you know, just without judgment, replace that belief. And it's not something maybe you're going to believe right away, but you got to keep on reminding yourself of it. So,

you know, if you thought to yourself, oh, I don't have the knowledge to get that job. Well, your new belief would be, I can gain the knowledge by reading a book or starting an internship. And I'm going to do that today. And then you start noticing all the reasons why you're living that new belief. So what do you have a final, do you have a final point, a final way? Yeah. So my final point would be the importance of breaking down those limiting beliefs that are holding you back. And they can be invisible barriers. And so we want to make sure that when we limit ourselves, other people limit us too. And so we want to make sure that we're really breaking free from those.

I think about, like one example comes to mind, and this is going to date me and tell you about how old I am. But remember Muggsy Bogues? Muggsy Bogues was a professional basketball player in the NBA. If you know Logan, let's just say he's as tall as Logan. Yes. I think he was 5'5". Something like that. No, Logan's like 5'7".

So, yeah. So it's one of those things where he wanted to play in the NBA. And he was like 5'5". And he could dunk. And he made it. He had this belief that he could. I bet a lot of people told him there was no way along the way when you're 5'5".

I see it at hockey teams a lot of times too. A guy will skate out on the ice and he's 6'6", 200. Oh, he's 5 feet even. Oh my god. 6'6", 233. A guy on a team that Bemidji, that MSU played a couple weekends ago. And a guy on a teammate of his had to be 5'5", buck 65. Look at the difference between those two guys,

both playing Division I hockey at the highest level. So you know that they had to believe that it was possible, right? And maybe people told them they were too small. They had to work through that and tell themselves why they could do it. And it can be done. So how do you summarize today? Okay. I'd say that high performers, those people who are working to reach their greater potential,

they challenge their limiting beliefs. They know that moving beyond their limiting beliefs is really critical for their success, so they attract more of what they want in their life. And every day they're working to believe in their best and their potential. And today's power phrase? I challenge my limiting beliefs. I choose empowering beliefs to keep me excited and passionate about my life, work, and my sport. You said this is something that is addressed in the book, right?

Yes. So if someone is thinking, I would really like to learn more about this limiting beliefs thing, then maybe getting a hold of the book Is the way to go If we want to follow along with the podcast Social media Get the book Find out what you're doing

As far as speaking engagements And all that How do we keep in touch? You can head over to beyondgrit.com And you can use the free ship code So it's just free ship All one word capital letters And get the book and the workbook

Shipped to you for free And then there's a workbook Where you can kind of work through these things. And if you want to learn more about speaking or the podcast, you can go to drcindra.com. Excellent. Cindra Kampoff with us today for High Performance Mindset. Thank you very much. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for listening to High Performance Mindset. If you liked today's podcast, make a comment, share it with a friend and join the conversation on Twitter at Mentally Underscore Strong. For more inspiration and to receive Sindra's free weekly videos, check out DrSindra.com.