Sometimes, the biggest thing holding you back from living the life you’ve always wanted isn’t bad luck or outside circumstances — it’s your own brain.
The beliefs you carry shape the way you see yourself, your potential, and the choices you make. Some of these beliefs might feel like facts, but they’re really just mental roadblocks keeping you stuck. If you’re carrying around any of these limiting beliefs, they’re clearly making your life harder than it needs to be. Kick them to the kerb and go out there and get what you want.
1. “I’m not good enough.”
Feeling like you’re never quite enough — whether it’s smart enough, talented enough, or worthy enough — can keep you from going after the things you want. The problem is, there’s no magic point where you suddenly feel “good enough.” If you keep waiting for that moment, you’ll be stuck forever. People who succeed don’t start out feeling ready — they just start. You don’t need to be the best to take action. Growth comes from doing, not from sitting around convincing yourself you’re finally worthy of trying.
2. “It’s too late for me.”
Whether it’s switching careers, learning something new, or starting over, thinking it’s “too late” will shut you down before you even begin. There’s always someone older than you doing exactly what you’re telling yourself you can’t do. Time will pass either way. The only difference is whether you use it to move forward or spend it convincing yourself it’s not worth trying. The best time to start might have been years ago, but the second-best time is right now.
3. “I have to wait until I’m ready.”
Source: Unsplash If you’re waiting for the perfect moment when everything lines up and you finally feel 100% prepared, you’ll be waiting forever. That moment doesn’t exist. Confidence doesn’t come before action — it comes from taking action. Most people figure things out as they go. Even the most successful people started before they felt completely ready. The only way to get better at something is to do it, mistakes and all.
4. “Failure means I should give up.”
If you see failure as a sign that you’re not meant to do something, you’ll never get anywhere. Everyone fails. The difference between people who move forward and those who stay stuck is how they respond to it. Failure isn’t a dead end; it’s feedback. It shows you what needs adjusting, what doesn’t work, and where you can improve. The sooner you stop fearing it, the sooner you can start using it to your advantage.
5. “Other people have it easier than me.”
Source: Unsplash Comparing your struggles to someone else’s highlight reel is a fast track to misery. It’s easy to look at people who seem successful and assume they had it easier, but you don’t see their failures, setbacks, or private doubts. Everyone faces obstacles, even if they don’t talk about them. Focusing on what other people have won’t get you anywhere. The only thing that moves you forward is putting energy into your own path instead of resenting someone else’s.
6. “I need permission to go after what I want.”
Source: Unsplash Waiting for approval — whether from society, family, or some imaginary authority — keeps you stuck. No one is going to show up and give you a permission slip to live your life the way you want to. You don’t need validation to start making changes. If something feels right for you, that’s enough. Other people’s opinions aren’t required for you to go after what makes you happy.
7. “If I ignore my problems, they’ll go away.”
Hoping things will fix themselves might feel easier in the short term, but problems don’t just disappear. Whether it’s a bad relationship, an unhealthy habit, or a situation that’s draining you, avoiding it only makes it worse. The longer you put off dealing with something, the more control it has over you. Facing things head-on might feel uncomfortable, but it’s the only way to actually move past them.
8. “I have to do everything perfectly.”
Perfectionism sounds like a good thing until it leaves you paralysed. When you believe something has to be flawless or it’s not worth doing, you never get anything done. You either put it off endlessly or beat yourself up when it doesn’t turn out “perfect.” Perfection is an illusion. No one gets everything right the first time. Progress always beats perfection, and the sooner you let yourself do things imperfectly, the sooner you’ll start actually achieving something.
9. “I’m just not lucky.”
Believing that good things only happen to lucky people is an easy way to justify staying stuck. While luck plays a role in life, most success comes from effort, persistence, and taking chances, even when things don’t go your way. The people who seem “lucky” are usually the ones who keep showing up, learning from setbacks, and putting themselves in situations where opportunities can happen. You can’t control everything, but you can control whether you take action.
10. “I’ll be happy when [insert future event] happens.”
If your happiness is always tied to a future event — getting the perfect job, losing weight, finding a partner — you’ll spend your whole life chasing it. Once you reach that goal, you’ll just find a new thing to fixate on. Happiness isn’t something you arrive at one day; it’s something you have to build now. Learning to find contentment in the present while still working towards your goals makes the journey a lot more enjoyable.
11. “It’s selfish to put myself first.”
People often mistake self-care for selfishness, but the reality is, you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you constantly put yourself last, you’ll burn out, and that won’t help anyone, including the people you care about. Taking care of your own needs isn’t neglecting other people; it’s making sure you have the energy to be your best self. Boundaries and self-care aren’t selfish; they’re necessary.
12. “I need to wait for motivation.”
Motivation is great when it’s there, but relying on it means you’ll get nowhere fast. No one feels motivated all the time, and if you wait for that spark to show up before taking action, you’ll be waiting a long time. Action creates motivation, not the other way around. Taking even the smallest step forward builds momentum, making it easier to keep going. The trick isn’t waiting for motivation; it’s starting without it.
13. “I should have my life figured out by now.”
There’s no rule saying you need to have everything sorted by a certain age. Life isn’t a straight path, and most people are figuring it out as they go, even the ones who seem like they have it all together. Feeling like you’re behind doesn’t mean you’re failing. As long as you’re learning, growing, and moving forward in some way, you’re exactly where you need to be.
14. “I can’t change.”
Believing that you’re “just this way” or that it’s too hard to change keeps you stuck in patterns that don’t serve you. While change isn’t always easy, it’s always possible if you decide to work at it. Your past doesn’t define you, and you’re not locked into being the person you’ve always been. The only thing keeping you from moving forward is the belief that you can’t.
