Ego and inner critic stories create what leadership coaches commonly call “limiting beliefs.” A limiting belief is a story that you tell yourself, whether true or false, that does not help you.
Regardless of whether the stories that you tell yourself are coming from your ego or your inner critic, your limiting beliefs have the following characteristics in common:
- You tell limiting beliefs primarily to yourself, although you may share your beliefs with others at a later time.
- You create limiting beliefs to fill-in missing information.
- You believe your limiting beliefs are true, whether they are true or false.
- You make behavioral choices based on your limiting beliefs.
Since your limiting beliefs inform your behavioral choices, consider the impact that the stories you are telling yourself have on your behavior.
Essentially, you will make behavioral choices, based on information that you believe to be true. Whether your behavior is conscious (purposefully chosen) or unconscious (the natural way you react to something), some type of behavior will surface.