6 Limiting Beliefs in Career and How to Overcome Them

I used to have a job that didn’t give me any happiness or fulfillment at all. 

My friends told me to take some time off or find a new hobby to take my mind off things. That worked for a while. But at some point, I found myself once again dragging my feet to work because I would rather be anywhere else but there and do anything else but my job. 

And yet, in spite of everything I was feeling, I was terrified to hand in my two weeks’ notice. 

What was my problem? 

A pretty common one. We’ve all been there. 

I had limiting beliefs. 

What are limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are more than just a fear of something new. Limiting beliefs are the things we believe or hear about ourselves that stop us from reaching our full potential. 

So how do you know if you have limiting beliefs? 

Does this sound like you? 

• You are frustrated and bored at your current job but are not taking any steps to leave it. 
• You scroll for new jobs and positions for hours on the internet but don’t apply for any of them. 
• You feel like you can’t do this even one more day but you procrastinate on updating your resume and LinkedIn profile 
• You feel like your life is open to so much more potential, while also feeling terrified to initiate real change

That sounded like you? Dangit. 

Don’t worry, girl—I am here to help. 

I can’t speak for exactly what your particular limiting beliefs are. But I can speak for what I can guess them to be (or at least something similar). 

Let’s go through a few of the most common ones: 

Limiting Belief #1: I have reached my peak, and I can’t go further than this. 

We’ve all had our own versions of a roadmap to success that we work our way through. You studied your butt off in school to get those A’s. You downed your weight in coffee in college to pass those courses. You worked hard to land good jobs and promotions. 

You passed all the stations on your success roadmap. Therefore, you’re successful. You should be happy and stay where you are.

Right? 

Wrong. 

Just because you are where you pictured you should be, does not mean you are really where you should be. 

And that is actually a liberating thought. 

Reaching your goal is a testament that you are strong and capable and can do what you set your mind to. And there is no rule in the universe saying you can’t also set your mind to do something else. 

You may reach your goals or be really close to reaching them, and then realize that’s not what you want in life at all. 

So what do you do now? Well, say “thank you” for the journey and get off at the next stop. Time to board a new train.

*A little visualization activity

Here’s a little activity for you. Visualize what you want your day to look like and put it down on a piece of paper. Write down the times you want to get to work, what you do throughout the day, how you dress, and the people you will meet. Then, look at that piece of paper and think about what job would best fit that description. 

Now move to Limiting Belief #2.

Limiting Belief #2: I can’t do this because this is not my line of work. 

Did you do the visualization activity? 

Good. 

What you might find is that you actually like what you currently do. You just don’t like your current company. 

That is perfectly fine, and it’s actually great that you reached that realization before initiating change! 

You might be doing what you want to do, but the magic is sucked away by the environment or the people around you. 

Although it will take time to adjust to a new company environment, you can find comfort in the fact that your passion for the work you do can be rekindled. 

However, you may find that you want to deviate far from your current career. 

I had a similar experience going from being a licensed attorney to becoming a career coach. 

The idea of stepping into a very professional world and starting a business was scary to me. Fear made me think that maybe I should just put my happiness on the back burner and stay with a job that was familiar to me. One that I had trained for. 

Fear made me question my feelings, abilities, and potential. 

I almost didn’t become a career coach at all because I felt it was something too new, and it was so different from what I studied at college and law! 

But then, I remembered that I was not born an attorney. I had made myself an attorney. I studied for it, trained for it, and practiced it, and that was why I was familiar with it. 

No one is born with a pre-programmed job description in their DNA. You reached this point in your career because you decided that you wanted it and then you worked hard to achieve it. 

So. 

Studying for a new career that can bring you happiness is actually no big deal.

And it’s not as hard as you might think. 

Hop on the internet and search for free e-learning materials related to your future job. Many sites offer free, online, module-based courses that allow you to study and take tests in your own time. 

Some even offer free trial periods so that you can try out their virtual academy before paying to learn. A few I recommend are Google Digital Garage, Harvard Online Courses, Shaw Academy, Udemy, or Coursera.  

Limiting Belief #3: Everything I have worked for would be a waste.

Maybe you feel like studying for a new career means that you’re wasting everything you’ve worked for up to this point. 

Not true at all. 

You are not throwing away your education. You are just adding more things to your arsenal. 

Learning a new skill for another career is just another part of self-improvement, self-management, leadership, and the lifelong growing and learning process. 

Do you really think you can waste knowledge by getting more knowledge? 

You can’t. 

But you can waste your life spending all your knowledge on something that doesn’t make you happy or fulfilled. 

Limiting Belief #4: I am afraid to start something new.

We all reach a point in our lives where we feel too we’re too much to begin something. Too inexperienced. Too old. Too overweight. Too poor. 

Ask yourself, is your fear of starting something new based on a lie you’re believing? 

Many of the limiting beliefs we have about ourselves aren’t true. For example, I used to feel insecure about how I looked and my body size, so I didn’t feel worthy of showing up on social media the way other business owners did.

However, that limiting belief was based on a false reality—there is no certain way you have to look before you start chasing your dreams and building the life you want!

The comparison game can really play into this, so be aware of the fact that it’s okay if your journey looks different from someone else’s. If it does, that probably means you’re on the right track. 

But let’s say the problem is real: for example, lack of experience. 

Real problems can almost always be fixed. 

The freedom comes in accepting that the problem exists and that it’s okay (nobody starts out experienced). But then you have to embrace the right mindset and develop a real plan for adding new skills and knowledge to your career change arsenal. 

Limiting Belief #5: I won’t be able to make as much in a new career as I do now. 

We don’t always like to admit it, but money is a huge consideration in any career. It influences the classes we choose in college, even our choice of degree. It influences the place we live and the industry we enter. It influences the connections we make. 

And yes, it can even make us unwilling to leave a job we really hate. 

I totally understand that money is a big issue (and that’s okay!). I’m definitely not saying throw up your hands when it comes to financial security and pick up a drink and a paintbrush if that’s your dream. 

However, I do believe when it comes to happiness and choice in a career, there are bigger considerations than the size of the paycheck. 

For example, will you be happier, more motivated, or fulfilled in another career than the one you are in now? 

Ask yourself: If you could save one million dollars in a decade, but you’d still be working the same job and doing the same things ten years from now, is that thought exciting to you, or does it fill you with dread? 

If you’re not happy in the job you are in right now, making the money you are right now, you won’t be happy if you continue the same job (even if you’re making the same money.)

Release yourself from the personal and cultural pressure to stay in a job you hate just for the bigger paycheck. 

At the end of the day, your quality of life isn’t something you can put a price tag on. 

Be smart. And make the move!

Limiting Belief #6: I am not qualified to do a new job.

This goes along with Limiting Belief #3 and 4, but it’s worth talking about here for one reason in particular: transferable skills. 

Yes, as I said earlier, learning new things and moving into a different industry does not mean your past education or experience is wasted. You’re simply adding to the repertoire of your knowledge, not taking it away. 

However, there are probably a few things in your current job that can actually make your new job easier, and this means you don’t need to start from square one. 

These are called transferable skills. 

Asses your current job description as it is now and write it down: everything you do, down to the administrative tasks, writing emails, networking, public speaking, corporate interaction, and your day in day out tasks and duties. 

Now, write down all the things you are trained and educated for or have experience in (inside and outside the workplace). 

It’s probably a good long list.

What you’ll probably find is that a lot of your skills aren’t actually particular to your job or industry—they are useful in lots of different jobs and industries (and probably in the one you are interested in too!) 

Make a second list of the skills you believe will transfer over, and start building your education and learning process off of those skills as you move forward. It will be satisfying to build on something you already have experience in and get the ball moving a little faster as you start expanding into the areas that feel unknown. 

• Changing your career is a daunting task, and the fear that you feel about stepping into an unknown world is valid. Feel the feelings. But don’t let them paralyze you into inaction. 
• Focusing on the fear and dwelling on your limiting beliefs can hinder you from reaching your full potential. 
• Visualize your perfect day on the job and use it to reassess the current state of your career. 
• Utilize free and inexpensive courses and material (especially online) to start off your introduction to a new skill. 
• Learning a new skill for a brand new career doesn’t erase your past knowledge or experience, it only adds to it. 
• You are smart, capable, and goal-oriented, and you will be able to make this change with the right beliefs and plan in place. 

P.S. Still unsure of how to take the first steps in your career transition? I can help! 

• You can get your free Tyche Career Change Roadmap here.
• If you’re really ready to start the career transition process, you can set up a 60-minute Power Hour with me where we will take a deep dive into the topics of your choosing and come up with a game plan for you to move forward.
• Are you ready to finally take the leap and really start working on your career change? If so, schedule a discovery call, and let’s talk about your goals and whether my one-on-one coaching package could help you reach them.