You, me, and probably everybody else in the world have felt stuck at one time or another. The problem is that most of us get so used to where we are in our careers that we end up creating stupid lies about why we can’t have anything better.

And that’s what all self limiting beliefs are: a bunch of smelly, rotten, stinking lies that can hold you back from enjoying larger success. The great news is that you can drastically improve your results – especially in your career or business – by replacing those silly lies with empowering truths about yourself.

On that note, here are the 4 most common lies that may be keeping you, or someone you know from creating the success that you want and deserve.

Lie #1 “Studying after college is a waste of time.”

Sadly, I once believed that college gave us the necessary tools to become masters of our universe when it came to what we were preparing for. What I didn’t know at that time was that your level of success within what you do will depend on what you learn after graduation.

So here is the deal: if you do want reach higher levels of success, you will have to grow yourself first. This means investing your time, money, and energy on constantly improving your knowledge and skills so you can eventually become a person of great value in your field.

Here are the tools that you can use to become one of the best in your industry:

– Read more books. You don’t have to read a thousand books on a subject (although it would make you one hell-of-an-expert), but at least study the ones that have successfully helped others improve their results.

– Attend seminars, conferences and workshops. By attending these events you can learn the latest information on your craft. Listen, take notes, and then apply their steps, laws and principals until you develop your own formula for success.

– Find a great mentor. Mentors are important because they’ve already made it in their own lives, making them excellent teachers that can really help you reach you goal. Their wisdom and experience is a valuable asset that can help you cut your progress time in half.
(Note: If you have trouble finding a good mentor near you, you can always study and model the people you admire within you passion. Always keep in mind that if they did it, so can you.)

Lie #2 “Other people know what’s best for me.”

As I said before, mentors can help you succeed because they’ve “walked the talk,” but following advice from an inexperienced friend or loved one will only lead you nowhere.

Find the successful people who share your vision and values and use them as road markers for your own great journey, instead of wasting your time on someone else’s goals.

Be nice to the people who support you, even when their loving advice doesn’t help you at all, and make them part of your growth process. As long as you don’t let anyone steer you away from who you are, you will eventually make your goal happen.

Lie #3 “I guess this is all I can do.”

Here is another one of those crappy, medieval beliefs that are still trying to convince people into staying where they are. Understand that your past and your present do not have to determine your future; but if you always settle for mediocrity, that’s all you’ll ever get. Have a bigger vision for yourself my friend!

Know that whatever you can see and believe in your mind you can eventually create in your life. See yourself in a bigger position, or being hugely successful doing something that you love. Make it as real as possible and fill in the details as if you were creating your future movie.

See yourself talking with your satisfied customers, imagine your new home or car, see yourself helping others by donating services or money, and see the people you admire congratulating you on your success.

Believe me; your imagination is far more powerful than you think. Once your mind is clear on where you want to go, you will soon realize that you are capable of more than you think.

Lie #4 “I have to wait till I’m perfect.”

As an awkward teen I used to dream a lot about playing my guitar in front of my friends (especially the hot girls), but I was so afraid of making a mistake that I chickened out from trying. Then one day, I finally got the guts to perform at my high school talent show even though I knew I still wasn’t perfect. The great thing was that the audience loved it even with my mistakes. That day I learned three important things about waiting for perfection:

–First, people are more forgiving when they sense that you are passionate about what you do.

–Second, some of your imperfections are what make you unique.

–Third, real success is about taking action on your dream, even when you don’t feel like you’re ready.

The moral of my true story is that if I hadn’t taken a leap of faith on my goal, my life would’ve stayed the same, and I wouldn’t have developed the confidence to keep on going for even bigger goals while I was getting better. Everybody makes mistakes, but only those who never stop trying get to enjoy the rewards.