🎨 The Flip Flop challenge!

Conquer your self doubt, negativity and imposter syndrome. A writing exercise to turn your negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, into positives affirmations and possibilities.

About this creative exercise

Limiting beliefs can be like those uninvited guests who crash the party of your potential.

And I speak from experience!

Self-doubt, negativity and imposter syndrome - all regulars at my own pity parties. This exercise has not only been a personal favourite but has also a great success with many of my clients during my days of old as a productivity coach.

How Limiting Beliefs Enter Unnoticed

These sneaky notions often creep in during our early years or through not-so-great relationships. They're the culprits that slam the door on our dreams, whether it's shedding a few pounds, launching a business, or finding the courage to start anew after a toxic relationship.

You see, our brains have a knack for this thing called ‘learned helplessness’ (check out the technical side here, if you fancy a deep dive).

The name might sound like we willingly signed up for powerlessness lessons, but in reality, it's our default mode to feel a bit helpless. We often think we lack control over ourselves, our lives, or the situations we find ourselves in. So, we've got to learn how to be confident and cultivate self-belief to chase after our goals and dreams.

Combine this learned helplessness with our innate knack for focusing on the negative stuff (thanks, negativity bias), and things can feel a bit topsy-turvy.

Here are some of my limiting beliefs:

• I'm too old to pivot into a new career as an artist.

• I never have enough time to do everything I want.

• My art business will fail before it even gets started because I'm not an expert yet.

• People won't understand what I'm doing and will think I'm stupid.

• I'll never make any money from it.

But there's a solution...

Challenge your own understanding. Test new ideas. You are never at the full expansion of yourself. There is always room for growth.

Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

🍦 Three Flavours of Limiting Beliefs

In order to help you understand limiting beliefs in a little more detail, according to an article by author Mark Manson, limiting beliefs come in three distinct 'flavours':

1. Limiting Beliefs About Yourself

These are the ones that make you doubt your abilities because you think there's something inherently wrong or lacking with you. It could be related to your age (too old or too young), your physical attributes (too fat or too weak), or even your emotional traits (too angry or too soft).

2. Limiting Beliefs About the World

These beliefs can make you feel like the world is conspiring against your dreams. You worry about what other people will think, like your parents, coworkers, or even strangers on the internet. It can also involve biases and prejudices, be it related to religion, race, or gender. And then there's the ego - thinking you're so special and unique that no one will understand you!

3. Limiting Beliefs About Life

These are the beliefs that make life seem like a maze of complications. They revolve around the scarcity of time, the notion that you're either too early or too late to the party (thinking your business/book/idea has already been done), and the struggle between what's real and what's imaginary.

Are those deep-seated beliefs ingrained in childhood or through culture? Yep, they're the trickiest to break, but certainly not impossible!

🎖️ Take the Flip Flop Challenge

Why not take on the Flip Flop Challenge and witness the transformative power of giving your limiting beliefs a voice and turning negatives into positives, for yourself?

Here’s how to do it, as well as an example of turning my flops into flips…

🗒️ Instructions

1. Grab two pieces of paper. Label the first one ‘FLIP’ and the second one ‘FLOP.’

2. Begin with the ‘FLOP’ page. Your task is to unleash your limiting beliefs, aka your FLOPS.

   1. Focus on a specific challenge, a goal you aspire to achieve, or those beliefs hindering you.

   2. As you write, pay attention to any bodily tension and the arising emotions.
      The goal here isn't to change your thoughts and feelings but to observe them without judgment.

3. Limiting beliefs, aka your FLOPS, typically start with:

• I should...

• I can't...

• I won't...

• I'm not...

• I don't...

• It is impossible because...

• I don’t have enough...

Vent your limiting beliefs freely on this page. Go on, let it all out!

4. Move to the ‘FLIP’ page. This is where you'll craft statements that counteract your FLOPS. These are positive affirmations aligning with your goals and ambitions.

   Consider what you can do today to advance your goals and acknowledge the resources you possess, such as your knowledge, experience, talents, or the people around you who can assist your plans.

5. Your counteracting FLIP statements start with the following:

• I can...

• I will...

• I am...

• I deserve...

• I love to...

• It is possible because...

• I have everything I need to [insert goal here] because...

From here, you’ll have devised a set of lovely positive statements that enable you to see possibilities instead of obstacles.

Here’s an example of my Flips:

😞 I’m too old to pivot into a new career as an artist.
🤩 I deserve to follow my creative calling at any age.

😞 I never have enough time to do everything I want.
🤩 I am prioritising what fuels me and letting go of the rest.

😞 My art business will fail before it’s even got started because I’m not an expert yet.
🤩 It is possible because I’m showing up, learning, and taking brave steps every day.

😞 People won’t understand what I’m doing and will think I’m stupid.
🤩 I have everything I need to trust my path, even if others don’t get it yet.

😞 I’ll never make any money from it.
🤩 I am building something of value, and I deserve to be paid for my creativity.

🪞 Reflection & Enquiry

• Did your words flow effortlessly as you wrote, or did you encounter resistance and negative self-talk?

• Compare the experience of writing negative and positive statements. Are you now ready to pursue your goals, or do you still sense limitations?

I recommend practising this exercise regularly to challenge your limiting beliefs. You'll be amazed by what you discover, and if it doesn’t feel too cringeworthy, turn your positive statements into daily affirmations to practice, especially when those sneaky ailments, such as imposter syndrome and self-doubt, creep in the back door!

Have an inspired day 💕

Here’s another creative snacks you’ll enjoy:

🎨 The 5 minute trick that helps overcome doubt and stay motivated