Stop Stopping Yourself: How to Break Free from the Core Beliefs That Keep You Stuck

Ever feel like no matter what you do, you’re still spinning in the same cycle of self-doubt, strained relationships, or low-key dissatisfaction with life?

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re not behind.

But you might be bumping up against something deeper your core beliefs.

These quiet, often invisible beliefs are running the show behind the scenes. They shape how you see yourself, how you show up in your relationships, what you think you deserve, and what feels possible. If those beliefs are negative, limiting, or outdated? They can keep you stuck in a version of life that feels like you’re constantly trying but never quite arriving.

The good news? You can change them. But first, you have to get honest about what they are and how they’ve been running your life.

What Are Core Beliefs?

Core beliefs are like the prescription lenses you didn’t even realize you were wearing. They color how you interpret your experiences, usually without your conscious awareness. Most of them formed when you were young based on what you saw, felt, heard, or made up to survive your early environment.

Things like:

• I’m not good enough.

• People can’t be trusted.

• If I make a mistake, I’ll be rejected.

• It’s all on me.

Over time, these beliefs start to feel like facts. And since your brain is wired for confirmation bias, it will look for evidence to support those beliefs over and over while ignoring anything that contradicts them.

When Your Default Becomes Your Downfall

Here’s how it plays out:

Let’s say your core belief is “I’m not good enough.”
You might become a perfectionist to compensate. High-achieving. Always pushing, always performing. But no matter how well you do, it’s never enough because your core belief already decided it wouldn’t be.

I remember a friend in grad school who completely spiraled over a paper she wrote. She said she “totally screwed up.” When I asked what grade she got, she said “an A-minus.” (Yes, really.)

I looked at the feedback full of glowing praise, including “You have a brilliant mind.” But she brushed it off with, “He’s just saying that to soften the blow.” Why? Because it didn’t align with her belief that she wasn’t smart enough. So her brain rejected the praise and zeroed in on the “minus.”

That’s confirmation bias in action. And it’s brutal.

How to Break Free From Limiting Beliefs

If your beliefs are working for you if they’re empowering, supportive, and aligned with who you want to be you don’t need to change them.

But if your beliefs are keeping you stuck, small, or exhausted, it’s time to interrupt the pattern.

Here’s how to start:

1. Get Curious About the Inner Dialogue.
What’s the story playing on repeat in your mind? Notice your automatic thoughts especially when you feel triggered, unworthy, or discouraged. Ask yourself: What am I making this mean about me?

2. Trace It Back.
When did you first start believing this? What was happening in your life? What did you see, hear, or experience that made this belief feel true? And is it still true or just familiar?

3. Challenge It (or Let It Go).
You can argue with the belief find counter-evidence, write a new narrative.
Or you can take a mindfulness-based approach and simply say, “That’s just an old story. I don’t have to follow it anymore.”

You don’t have to banish the thought. Just stop letting it lead.

This Isn’t About Toxic Positivity. It’s About Choice.

You don’t have to replace every negative thought with a glittery affirmation. This work isn’t about pretending you never feel fear, shame, or self-doubt.

It’s about learning to spot when your beliefs are old, inherited, or no longer useful and choosing not to let them run your life anymore.

Because your core beliefs don’t have to be a life sentence. They can be rewritten.

Final Thoughts

Your beliefs shape your reality. If the life you’re living doesn’t feel like you if it’s filled with striving, self-criticism, or settling for less than you know you’re capable of it might be time to rewrite the beliefs beneath it all.

It’s not easy work. But it’s powerful. And you don’t have to do it alone.

This is the kind of deep, transformational work I do with my clients helping high-achieving women reclaim their power, shift their mindset, and finally step into lives that feel aligned, fulfilling, and true.

If that’s what you’re craving, I’d love to support you.

💬 Let’s talk. We’ll explore what’s been holding you back and what it will take to stop stopping yourself.

You deserve to believe in a life that reflects who you really are.

Let’s go get it.