Like a great many people, Lola cannot do some of the things she'd like to do. Sometimes she can't go into the hall. Sometimes she can't go through the door to the backyard. Sometimes she can't lie on the couch. Sometimes she can't eat certain foods.
But Lola is not limited in these things because she is incapable of doing them. Rather she has made up rules that prohibit her from doing this or going there or eating that.
I've spent years counseling sellers against putting roadblocks in front of themselves that prevent them from achieving their goals. Many of these men and women learn to see and overcome these self-imposed obstacles.
Still others don't, usually because they don't believe they have consciously or unconsciously prevented themselves from achieving a goal. Often they believe that something external is hindering them, since no one would prevent herself from doing something she clearly wanted to do.
For years I've looked for clear examples of how self-limiting beliefs work. I've certainly seen people recognize a self-limiting belief and then eliminate it. But usually the example isn't crystal clear. There are always alternate explanations for what has happened.
And then along came Lola. She is the finest example of self-limiting beliefs I've ever seen, primarily because she has so many about so many different things.
