The Truth About What’s Really Limiting You
Every time you think “I can’t,” there’s a quiet voice adding “because.”
Because I’m not that kind of person. Because I tried before. Because people like me don’t do things like that.
It’s subtle, constant, and feels like truth – but it’s just a story you’ve gotten used to telling yourself.
The Setup
We walk around carrying these invisible walls.
Someone gives you a compliment, and you’ve got a reason why they’re wrong. An opportunity shows up, and you’ve already decided why it won’t work out. A dream bubbles up, and you’ve killed it before it had a chance to breathe.
You think you’re being realistic. Practical. Protecting yourself from disappointment.
But look closer.
What’s Actually Happening
These aren’t facts you’re working with.
They’re interpretations. Stories. Meanings you’ve assigned to random events and carried forward and believe is gospel truth.
Failed at something once?
Now it’s “I’m not good at this.” Got rejected? Must be “I’m not cut out for this.” Someone else succeeded? Clearly “They have something I don’t.”
But here’s what’s really going on: You’ve mistaken your commentary about life for life itself.
The Machine at Work
Watch your mind sometime.
Something happens – neutral, simple, just an event. Then the machine starts whirring: “This means that…” “This proves what I already knew…” “This shows why I can’t…”
It’s automatic. Invisible. And completely made up.
The reality is much simpler: Things happen. Everything else is interpretation.
Breaking It Open
Want to see how deep this goes?
Pay attention to the word “because” in your thoughts. It’s the bridge between what’s real and what you’ve made up.
“I failed because I’m not talented enough.”
“They succeeded because they’re naturally gifted.”
“It didn’t work because I’m not the right kind of person.”
Remove every “because” and what are you left with? Just things that happened. No story. No limitation.
No mental prison.
The Way Through
This isn’t about positive thinking.
It’s not about replacing negative stories with positive ones. It’s simpler than that: it’s about seeing stories as stories.
You don’t need a better story.
You need fewer stories.
You don’t need a new belief system. You need to see that beliefs are just thoughts you keep thinking.
What Freedom Looks Like
Freedom isn’t believing you can do anything – it’s seeing that your beliefs about what you can do were never facts to begin with.
The person who thinks they can’t dance and the person who thinks they can are both living in stories.
The person who just dances, however, is free.
Moving Forward
Stop trying to fix your limiting beliefs.
You can’t fix what isn’t real. Instead, watch them. See them for what they are: habits of thought, nothing more.
When you catch yourself adding meaning to moments, just notice.
When you hear yourself saying “I can’t because,” just notice. No need to fight it. No need to replace it.
Just see it for what it is.
The truth is, you’re not actually limited. You’re just in the habit of interpreting life through the lens of limitation.
And habits can change.
Not because you force them to. Not because you find better ones. But simply because you see them clearly for what they are.
That’s all it takes.
The rest is just practice in seeing what’s real and what’s added.