𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀. You know, beliefs that form early in our lives and quietly shape our decisions decades later.
One of mine has always been that “I’m not physically strong.”
I know exactly where it came from.
When I was about seven or eight, my parents let me eat cupcakes for breakfast. (Don’t ask. I certainly didn’t.) Somewhere along the way, they started calling me “Cupcake Muscles.”
I don’t remember a specific incident that triggered it. It may have been a joke or just a throwaway comment for all I know.
But it stuck.
For most of my life, I’ve casually told myself – and others – that I’m just not strong.
Fast forward to the last 18 months. I’ve been doing weightlifting classes.
This is our leaderboard.
(And yes, it’s in kilos for my American friends.)
Not only am I at the top of the leaderboard (I’m Kim S in green about half way down the first column), but the weight I’m pressing is higher than anyone else in the cohort.
What’s interesting is that this belief was first challenged by my Pilates teacher about 5 years ago. She regularly commented on how strong I was.
But I wasn’t willing to believe it myself
But here it is – evidence that she was right – and what I’ve believed about myself for my entire life was wrong!
It’s a good reminder that many of our limits aren’t real. They’re just old stories that haven’t been questioned in a very long time.
How has this stopped me? It’s kept me from doing a few things in my life that I would have loved to do – but was afraid I couldn’t.
This begs another question – one that I plan to explore further this year – what other beliefs do I have that have held me back?
And how can I overcome them or use them as fuel to achieve my very big goals for 2026?
Watch this space.
Have you identified any limiting beliefs that you’ve been able to overcome? Do you feel like you might have beliefs that are stopping you? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
2026 is going to be a pivotal year for so many reasons.
– AI is moving from experiment to expectation
– We face uncertain geopolitical, environmental and economic conditions
– The ways we work are changing.
We will need to be able to be the best version of ourselves to overcome the challenges and seize the very real opportunities that this year will bring.
Especially if you’re in a leadership position.
This is one way that I’m approaching this. I’d love to hear about yours.
