Ganesh. photo by Gwen Wooten
A few months ago, Ganesh showed up on my regular walking route. If you aren’t familiar with Ganesh, he is the Hindu god of wisdom, success and good luck. But maybe more importantly, Ganesh is the remover of obstacles.
I was so happy to see Ganesh along my route. As a lover of folklore, mythology and magic (anything from Harry Potter to Tom Robbins), it felt like a sign that my path will be smooth from here on out. But it also got me thinking about the obstacles that get in our way and how we can overcome them.
Obstacles We Face
Money.
Time.
Procrastination.
Distractions.
I’m sure you can come up with a few more obstacles that impact your life, but can you pull a Ganesh and help remove them?
In many cases, these obstacles are absolutely true—if we choose to believe them. Instead of making them insurmountable obstacles, let’s recognize them for what they are: limiting beliefs.
WARNING: Limiting beliefs can stop us before we even get started.
When something is a priority, when we really commit to it, we find the time, we find the money, we WILL find the resources to get it done.
Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
So, how do we pull a Ganesh and free ourselves from the limiting beliefs that plague us. I won’t claim to be an expert on this as I’m battling my own, but here’s the process I’m going through.
Recognize limiting beliefs for what they are. Acknowledge that these beliefs are really excuses that mean you don’t have to change your life in any way. Understand what is holding you back—is it fear?
Delve into the fear. I know, yuck. But dive right in and understand what it is about. Is it fear of change? Or maybe it’s about failure or embarrassment or that you’re not smart enough. Knowing what the fear is about starts you on the path to overcoming it.
Notice Anytime we want to stop a behavior, we have to be on the lookout for it. When those negative thoughts on time, money, friends, intelligence, crop up, NOTICE.
Create Unlimiting Beliefs. Once you’ve noticed the limiting belief, you can turn it around. If it is about time, try saying “There is no shortage of time. I have exactly the amount of time I need.” You may even choose to create affirmations to change your way of thinking.
Commit. Stay focused on whatever it is you’re trying to achieve.
When something is a priority, when we really commit to it, we find the time, money and resolve to get it done. Overcoming limiting beliefs is the difference between achieving and not achieving our goals.
More Ideas
Byron Katie’s 4-questions are a great tools. I’ve written about these before, but the are so brilliant that they bear repeating: Is it true? Can you absolutely know that it's true? (Yes or no) How do you react (what happens?) when you believe that thought? Who would you be without the thought?
Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Deepak Chopra and other gurus have written about this topic. Take the wisdom and put it into practice. I can’t wait to see what you achieve.