that's one of the least weird questions i've received on here, friend lmao no, that's a very good question actually, i enjoyed mulling this over.

i'm sure we all have self-limiting beliefs, but imo the most difficult part isn't dealing with them, necessarily, but learning to recognise that's what they are in the first place. figuring out that the little voice telling you that you can't apply for this job bc you aren't good under pressure/can't do public speaking/aren't great at taking charge, etc. might not be the truth but an assumption you've made about yourself that's holding you back.

personally, i think the trick is to always be ready to challenge your own assumptions. i don’t treat as fact any bit of knowledge i may have about myself or anyone else or the universe in general until i've ascertained its legitimacy for myself. notions like 'i just know i'll be bad at xyz', or 'it must be true bc everyone says so', or 'that's the way it’s always been done' are useless. challenge them, go check for yourself, and be prepared to do it twice bc sometimes it takes several tries to make sure.

i think of myself as a confident person and tbh a lot of it comes from having beliefs based on empirical evidence. i'll ask myself, what's stopping you from doing something? i'll write down my thoughts, i'll dig deeper, especially if it's uncomfortable. i do also think everyone should remember that personal truth is internal conviction, it’s subjective at the end of the day. something that’s true for you might mean absolutely nothing to someone else.

what's the worst that can happen if the person you like is not interested, or someone else gets the promotion, or you don't get into the uni you want? you end up a little embarrassed or broken-hearted? you waste a bit of time? personally, i refuse to feel embarrassment, the fear of looking dumb is self-limiting in itself, plus hearts are resilient things. and time is the only currency we as humans actually possess, so it's ours to spend, not to save.

and if it turns out that someone truly wasn't your person or you really weren't cut out for sth then at least you'll know for sure. there are a million other things you will succeed at.

(use your head obviously, if sth is dangerous, likely to hurt someone else or yourself, or going to get you into debt you can't afford, sit that one out maybe.)

otherwise, if you've ever heard old people reminisce, they often mention regretting playing it safe for so much of their lives and not taking chances. let's not let that be us<3