“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Perspective is everything in recovery – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, which makes it a very big deal. What makes one person successful and another person fail? Whether it comes to creating and maintaining a business, learning a new instrument or reaching a goal in recovery, people become successful first and foremost because they believe they can. They have a vision, and they have identified the steps to getting there. The people that haven’t reached success yet or have stopped chasing after a venture is likely because they have imposed on themselves one of the following harmful beliefs:
- I don’t have the right amount of power, knowledge, experience, or skill to do this. There is no such thing as a “right amount”, and there are plenty of people, places, and things that can help us obtain whatever it is we need to reach our goals.
- I haven’t reached success in the time frame I gave myself, so I have failed. By placing a time limit on ourselves, we attempt to predict the future and do not make room for any critical lessons that need additional time to learn.
- I’m better than this, so I don’t need to try and attempt this anymore. Being over-confident can cause us to give up or relapse because we place super-human powers on ourselves, which isn’t realistic.
- Nobody wants to see me succeed at this, so there’s no point. Assuming nobody cares about our success negates any person that has ever believed in us, and displaces any opportunity of letting other supportive people into our lives, including people whom we haven’t yet reached out to.
- This goal is taking too much effort and I’m getting tired/fed up/frustrated, so I quit. All great things take effort and only the successful are willing to put the effort in – it’s a requirement that you must accept. If you’re tired, this is a sign that you must keep working even harder.
- My own brother/friend/sister/mother doesn’t believe I can do this, so I can’t. Placing our success into the predictions of others is unrealistic – nobody knows the future but by quitting, you’re not even giving yourself a chance to succeed.
- This requires taking steps that make me uncomfortable, so I won’t go through with this. Change is inevitable with any wonderous growth. You must embrace this and move forward.
These self-limiting beliefs have something in common: “don’t”, “can’t”, “won’t”, “no”, and “quit”. Don’t allow yourself to fall into these traps. Become a part of the “can”, “will”, “yes”, and “begin” group, and instill positive beliefs in your daily life. You can do this. You do have support. You will succeed.
Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. Our licensed, experienced professionals truly care about your success. If you are ready to seek treatment, call us today at 888-958-7511 for a consultation.
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