INSIDE: Our negative core beliefs shape our reality and alter the way we handle our experiences. Learning how they affect us and how to keep them at bay encourages us to reach our full potential in life.

  

The way we approach our circumstances says a lot about our cognition. Our beliefs about ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us are the base of most of our mental health struggles and emotional imbalances.

Some of these limiting beliefs are more apparent and present. For example, you may believe that to be successful, you must work hard and put your social life on the back burner. That’s an intermediate belief.

Others are more deep-rooted and govern most of our attitudes, rules, and assumptions. 

22 Negative Core Beliefs & How They Affect Us

The following list of common negative core beliefs prevents us from unleashing our full potential and building a more meaningful life.

Recognizing and challenging them helps us break out of these conditioned patterns and live the quality of life we deserve and desire.

Common Negative Core Beliefs

I’m a failure.

No one is a complete failure in life. In fact, all successful personalities went through one or more failures before becoming the successful person we know today. This negative core belief affects self-esteem and makes us dependent on positive external stimuli to feel good about ourselves.

I don’t have a purpose in life. 

This negative core belief makes us overly concerned about our future or leads us to constantly dwell on (and regret) our past. Being unable to be present in the now prevents us from enjoying our lives for the mere reason of being alive.

I’m worthless.

This belief tricks us into thinking that we’ll never become successful in life. When faced with a problem, we restrict ourselves from being more creative and finding a solution.

I’ll never be happy.

This negative core belief makes us reject exciting opportunities and interactions since we are so sure that we are doomed to be unhappy. We can’t accept other people liking us or being successful in new professional paths if we believe we'll never be happy.

I’m too busy. 

This typical self-sabotaging belief hinders the exploration of other aspects of our personalities. If we are “too busy,” we’ll keep doing the same activities that make us unhappy without daring to learn new skills to overcome them.

I’m too young.

Believing that we are too young to do things closes the doors to so many exciting adventures and opportunities! This negative core belief makes us place happiness circumstances out of our control, such as age, gender, social class, etc.

I’m too old.

We are the masters of our lives and destinies. This belief leads us to think that our happiness and fulfillment have an expiration date, which could greatly affect our self-confidence.

I’m not intelligent enough.

This core belief leads us to constantly compare ourselves to other people. However, there will ALWAYS be someone smarter, as well as someone more ignorant. Thinking we are not intelligent enough prevents us from acknowledging our unique skills and talents. 

In Relationships

I will never find anyone to spend my life with.

This negative core belief makes us stay cooped up in our house watching Netflix instead of simply enjoying our social lives. If we’ll never find that special person, why bother? We close the door to love before we even try it.

I’m not worthy of love.

This is even more dangerous than the previous one. If we believe we are not worthy of love, we won’t be able to see it even if it’s sitting right in front of us. We self-sabotage perfectly good relationships and drive people away from our lives because we feel unworthy of their affection.

I’m too ugly for love.

Associating true love with physical standards leads us to spend so much time and money on our looks instead of enjoying a more spontaneous connection with others.

I’m not good at dating.

Dating exposes our vulnerabilities to strangers, so it’s not an easy domain for anyone. This negative core belief tricks us into thinking we are the only ones who don't find dating easy, so we don’t even try to prove ourselves wrong.

I’m not likable.

Believing that people don’t like us is a reflection of our low self-esteem. No one is born with a hateful essence. We all have a tribe in the world that understands and accepts us for the way we are. This belief keeps us from social encounters and makes us feel increasingly lonely and unwanted.

Honesty will hurt others.

Being honest is not always easy, but this negative core belief prevents us from sustaining long and healthy relationships.

My family has issues, and so do I.

This core belief leads us to define our actions and personality based on our family. We end up believing that we are not free to live the life we choose for ourselves.

In Our Professional Life

I’m not good enough.

This belief makes our failures very difficult to cope with, besides making us feel insecure when navigating our career path. Instead of honing our skills, we lower the bar and accept the unsatisfactory business deals we believe we deserve.

Others are better than me.

There will always be someone better than you at something and worse than you at something else. This negative belief makes us compare our progress to others rather than our past selves.

I’m not adding anything valuable.

Everyone has a unique purpose in life, and this negative core belief makes us think otherwise. If we believe we have nothing valuable to offer, we won’t bother to improve our skills or explore other talents.

I have to do it perfectly.

This common belief leads us to procrastinate our projects and keeps us stuck in unfulfilling professional circumstances. Perfection doesn’t exist, and attempting to reach it makes us pass on good opportunities.

Failure is wrong.

Aiming to succeed in everything we do is like trying to cover the sun with our thumbs. Failures are part of our evolutionary path. Without them, we would stay the same forever..

I’m not knowledgeable enough.

We do not all have the same opportunities in life. Some people have the chance to acquire a high level of education, while others receive a more average one. However, this does not mean we cannot improve or reach our goals. These days, knowledge is at our fingertips.

I must sacrifice my leisure time or social life to hustle more.

This core belief impacts our quality of life and leads to a profound imbalance in all areas of our lives.

Final Thoughts

Now that we are aware of our negative core beliefs and how they impact our lives, we have the power to do something about them. Awareness of these deep-rooted notions helps us monitor our automatic thoughts and slowly transform our behavior.

This practice challenges these beliefs, making us realize that we are more resourceful and reality is much broader than we thought it was.