In this TaskHuman Talks Podcast episode, coaches Jamie Carroll and Johann Edward Strerath dive deep into a topic that affects our everyday lives — limiting beliefs. They explore what they are, where they come from, and most importantly, share how to overcome them to unlock your full potential.
Limiting beliefs are more than just a single thought. Coach Johann shares how patterned neural networks are shaped by our past experiences and memories, and can be triggered continuously. In fact, the brain produces between 70,000 and 80,000 thoughts a day, and 90% of them are repetitive. Essentially, our minds often live in the past, replaying old thought patterns.
This means a limiting belief isn’t just something you think, but a system of associations that can make you feel a certain way. For instance, the thought, “What if I don’t make it on time?” might be triggered by a past memory that didn’t go well. These beliefs are formed from everything our parents, schools, and society have taught us. We get so used to these thoughts that they run on autopilot, making them feel absolutely true. Johann explains more in the clip below.
So, how do we start to shift these deeply ingrained beliefs? Coach Johann shares a method through an acronym he developed called A.T.A.C.A.R. — a Spanish word meaning “to attack”. This process can be a powerful way to reclaim your mindset:
A – Accept. The first step is to accept that the belief has been programmed into your mind. It’s not your fault, but it’s your responsibility to update it.
T – Take Responsibility. Recognize that you have absorbed this information. You are the only one who can think for yourself, so you must take responsibility for your own mind.
A – Analyze. Analyze the root cause to understand where the belief came from.
C – Conscious Awareness. This is where you consciously recognize that while your memories are from the past, you have the power to do something about them now.
A – Aha! Moment. This is the moment you learn a lesson from the limiting belief and use it to rewrite your story.
R – Resignify. This means you start creating new routines and affirmations to replace the old thought patterns.
This process takes time — envision gradually replacing a glass of dirty water with clean water, drop by drop, until the water is clear. This requires being patient with yourself and consistently choosing new thoughts.
Limiting beliefs are often tied to emotions that were never fully expressed. As Coach Johann explains, emotions are “energy in motion,” and they can be measured by frequencies. Shame, guilt, and anger have very low, dense frequencies, while joy, love, and acceptance have higher, lighter frequencies.
To work through these emotions, Johan suggests the simple yet powerful practice of conscious breathing. By breathing and paying attention to your body, you can bring an emotion into the present moment. This presence allows you to simply feel the emotion without letting it control you, gradually transmuting its low-vibration energy to a higher one.
Working on limiting beliefs is crucial because they can often become our default tendencies and drastically shape our reality. If not identified, they can keep us from experiencing the fullness of life, and we frequently subconsciously prove them true through our actions. Overcoming these beliefs is an opportunity for self-discovery, self-improvement, and transformation.
If you’re ready to start this process—breathing, becoming more conscious, and peeling back the layers to understand yourself—find Coach Johann on the TaskHuman platform and book a session today. Your journey of freedom and self-discovery starts now!
Engage with the full podcast recording below: