The Burden Of Limited Thinking Patterns

Many people believe that positive thinking and manifestation are important tools that propel us towards our goals, but what about the opposite? Limited thinking can be as much of a burden as positive thinking is a boon. It is one of several ways that we self-sabotage our success. If you aren't sure what limited thinking is, here are nine examples. If you engage in these thinking patterns, you must address them, or your success might suffer.

1.  All or Nothing

This limited thinking pattern hinders your ability to see nuance. You are either a massive success, or you are a lowly failure. Routinely thinking like this holds us back by not allowing us to see progress or growth. It doesn't allow us to find a "middle ground."

2.  Focus on The Negative

Negative thinking is one of the most discussed topics in the self-help world. We all know the negative impact this type of thinking can have on our life. If you are the type of person whose mind filters all information through a negative lens, you won't be as happy or successful as you deserve.

3.  Overgeneralization

This thinking pattern is best described as taking a single incident and drawing broad conclusions about it. For example, you fail at something and then decide it is worthless, you are lousy, and you'll never figure it out. Besides being overly negative, this thinking process isn't logical. Try to stop thinking in absolutes. 

4.  Mind Reading

It is impossible to read someone's mind. Even if you are highly intuitive, you can't know for sure what someone is thinking. If you are the type of person that makes quick assumptions about others or thinks you know the "real reason" they acted in a certain way, then you might be suffering from this thinking pattern.

5.  Fixed Mindset

A fixed mindset is the idea that things are how they are, and there is no reason to change. You trust your abilities (which is great), but you never see a reason to grow or change. If you aren't growing and changing as a person, you are standing still, letting the world pass you by.

6.  Stuck on How

This type of limited thinking is when you get too wrapped up in the idea of "how." For example, how will you ever reach your goals? While having a plan is important, sometimes we can't possibly know all the details of accomplishing something. You can't allow this to stop you from taking action, though.

7.  Catastrophizing

Are you the type of person to assume the absolute worst of any situation? Does a small obstacle in your path make you think the sky is falling? If so, you are likely suffering from catastrophizing. This limited thinking pattern makes us always expect the worst. If you don't deal with it, you will be too paralyzed by fear and indecision to grow truly.

8.  A Case of The “Shoulds”

If you ever get caught up worrying about the way things "should" be instead of how they are, you might be dealing with this limited thinking pattern. You expect the universe and other people to act according to your preconceived standards and cannot adapt when they don't.

9.  Personalization

Not everything is about you. Did you need to hear that? If so, you might be suffering from personalization. This limited thinking pattern means you take everything personally. Not everything that happens to you is a personal slight or shortcoming. Sometimes things simply don't work out, and it doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you.