There are actions that we may sometimes take based upon disempowering thoughts and mindset. Here are a few truly life-limiting ones-

• Blaming everyone but yourself for your current state and not taking responsibility for fixing things that are within your control. Now, we all know that there are people in the world that are not the nicest, and may not have our best interests at heart. Beyond that, there are actions that we are responsible for in terms of what we do, what we attract and what we allow. Take responsibility for your own life, work on what you control and leave the blame games alone. They do not serve you.
• Asking why me? Now, when was that question ever answered? “Why me?” is disempowering in that makes you wallow in self pity, believing that you were singled out for misfortune by some cosmic alien force. Life happens to all, and there is no one who has not been blindsided by tragedy.
• Thinking that you are un-worthy of good things. Well, you are not unworthy. You are just as worthy as the next person. Do your part to have faith, do your homework and don’t give up on yourself, or sabotage yourself due to feelings of unworthiness.
• Thinking that you have to measure up to some perfect ideal. The question is whose ideals are you trying to measure up to? Some folks live their lives on the ideals of other people. Working mothers can feel guilty because they are not home enough; stay-at-home-mothers can feel guilty because they are not in the work force. If you do not have a college degree, you may feel that you are less of a person for that reason. If you have a bachelor’s degree you may feel that you need a master’s degree to “arrive”. The question is are you doing things for you or just to measure up to other people ideals of what you should be? Live your life and stay in your own lane.
• Being approval hungry: If you are “approval hungry” you will never achieve anything great. If you ask all and sundry what to do, you will get many differing opinions. If you meet with other peoples disapproval on the way to achieving your dreams, so what? It is your dream, not theirs. Now, there is a balance. You need mentors for your next level and you do need counsel, however, you cannot allow every naysayer to have access into your innermost life. Some people’s dreams were cut short in their infancy because they met with sideways glances of naysayers.

Watch this space for the rest, next week. What other disempowering behaviors have you identified?