“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” Mary Kay Ash, entrepreneur and founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Do you feel “stuck in a rut” or dissatisfied with your life but believe there is little you can do about it?

Do you want to move forward in life, but you don’t seem to be able to do so?

If so, you’re probably limiting yourself.

The good news is that you can do something about it. You can take control of your thoughts, change your beliefs, and take action to move your life forward.

Here’s how to stop limiting yourself in three small steps.

1. Tell Yourself You’re Capable and Competent

One way of limiting yourself is to say that you can’t or won’t do something.

When you start learning to do something, you’re a beginner. This is true for everyone. No one is 100 percent capable at first.

Everyone makes mistakes.

But you learn something valuable from each mistake you make. Over time, you gradually become more competent.

However, some people still believe they are incapable and incompetent even when they’re quite good, or even very good, at something.

They may be listening to the words of other people or they may be hearing voices from the past, which told them they were no good at learning new things or doing certain things. These may be the voices of teachers, parents, relatives or peers.

A good way of getting rid of this negative thinking pattern is to repeat the affirmations: