A limiting belief is something that your unconscious mind believes about yourself, other people, or the world. These beliefs hold you back from accomplishing your goals because you believe them, but guess what? They aren’t objectively true. That’s one of the hallmarks of a limiting belief.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you believe you’re bad at math, but you want to go to college and major in something that requires a lot of math. Are you bad at math? Probably not; most people can learn to do basic math well and the majority can also learn to do higher-order math if they apply themselves. But because you believe you’re bad at math, you have trouble mastering the math skills required for your program. This is a classic example of a limiting belief.

Other common examples abound. The fear of failure is a common limiting belief that leads people to avoid following their dreams because they don’t want to fail. Many people have the...