Overcoming The ‘Elephant Syndrome’ – Changing Limiting Beliefs To Empowering Ones

Life is a journey full of challenges. Some challenges we are able to take head-on, others we find our way around and, in some cases, we give in to the challenge by changing our course completely.

Discussing about the challenges that we give in to – have you ever felt nothing is working for you? Irrespective of your effort, energy and experience, you’re not getting any headway in some aspects of your life. These could in any one or more areas of life including health, career, family, friends, spirituality, community, finance or any other. Let’s see what we can do about it…

Let me start with saying –

“Limiting beliefs are the only things that limit us.”

Read the above sentence again. What do you make of it? Do you believe it?

Relating the above sentence to an elephant tied with a rope, surprisingly the rope manages to hold the elephant. Read ahead to understand this. 

Elephants are one of the most powerful creatures on earth. With an average height of around 10 feet and average weight of around 6000 kilograms can you imagine it being tied to a tree with a jute rope? Sounds impossible! You might think, one kick or one pull and the elephant will be free from the shackles of the rope. But the elephant doesn’t think the same way. And why? Because it has been trained to do so.

When the elephant was young, a rope was tied to one of its front legs. The baby elephant tried its level best to break free – but each time it pulled the rope, it would end up hurting its leg. The bruise, so caused, sometime would even start bleeding. Over a period of time the young elephant learns not to try at all, as every trail caused pain. As it grows older, it submits to the fact that breaking free is not possible. As an adult elephant, according to its knowledge and experience, trying to break free will be of no avail. 

In reality however, for an adult elephant, one pull is enough to break the rope. But the elephant has learnt not even to try. Psychologists refer to this as ‘The Elephant Syndrome’ or more technically as ‘learned helplessness.’ The elephant lives with the belief that “trying to break free will cause pain”.

What are beliefs?

According to the Oxford dictionary,

Belief (Noun)

• An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. ‘his belief in extra-terrestrial life’
• Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion. ‘we’re prepared to fight for our beliefs’

The elephant’s belief “Trying to break free will cause pain” may have been true when the elephant was young. Today when the elephant is an adult, the belief may not be true per se, but it continues to be true for the elephant. The belief has become the elephant’s reality and the elephant has learnt to live with the reality believing it true which in turn leads him to remain captive.

Beliefs limiting us

As humans, certain experiences in the past (both in childhood and adulthood) may not have yielded the results we wanted at that point in time. The belief that comes with that experience, are believed even today, even though they may no longer be true. These beliefs could be either in our conscious or unconscious mind.

If you hear yourself saying any of the following statements:

• “I’m not good enough”  or “others are better than me”
• “I can never earn enough money”
• “I’m not able to give enough time to my family”
• “I do too much work but no recognition”
• “Someone else is better than me”

…you are operating from the realm of limiting beliefs. The impact of these beliefs is much more than you can imagine. They could cause you to self-sabotage your own career.

The good news is,  just as we have limiting beliefs which have the power to limit us; we also have  empowering beliefs which empower us to do more and achieve our dreams. By changing the limiting beliefs to empowering ones, we can do much more. Of course, it is not easy, but when consistently practiced, the results are nothing short of magic.

Identifying your limiting beliefs is a three-step process. The example given below is that of a workplace. You may apply it to any aspect of your life. When you’re doing this exercise ensure you sit in a quiet place and be away from distractions.

Converting limiting beliefs to empowering ones

When we convert the limiting beliefs to empowering ones, we are, in effect, changing our reality. Though it’s not an easy task, it’s not impossible either. Here’s how to go about it.

• Write down the limiting belief you want to change
• Now write it in a manner that it becomes an empowering one

For example, let’s take the first limiting belief in the above example and see how we can change it:

Write it on paper and post it where it is most visible for you  – the softboard at your office desk, your wardrobe at home, bathroom mirror at home or any other place where you can see the note every day. Read the note aloud to yourself every day. It’s alright if you don’t believe it initially. Repeat it every day for at least 30 days or until you are able to say it with conviction. The belief has now become true for you.

If you pick up one disempowering belief a month and convert it to an empowering one, by the end of one year you will be 12 beliefs empowered. The power of belief lies within you.

So, what are you waiting for… change your belief, change your life! It’s not who you are that holds you back but who you think you are.