The Busting Free Blueprint: Part 1

Overcoming False Limiting Beliefs: Part 3

Today, I'm introducing you to the Busting Free Blueprint.

It's a three-step process teens use to eliminate harmful false beliefs that prevent them from pursuing an ideal career and reaching their full potential.

In the first post of this series, I compared false negative beliefs that cause self-sabotage to malicious code that causes computer viruses. I also said that the steps to fix the computer's operating system (detect, delete, defend) are the same three steps for destroying these limiting beliefs, so our kids can be free to function the way they were designed.

Let's explore step one.

STEP 1: DETECT

The first step in the Busting Free Blueprint is DETECT. This is where our kids need to identify mindset fallacies that could potentially harm their futures.

To do this, they can make a list of what I call “Nagging Negativity”.

These are recurring, harassing, negative thoughts about their abilities, their futures, or specific situations. Here are a few examples of real Naggingy Negativity identified by some recent clients.

You can’t handle challenging academics.
People won’t be interested in you, and you’ll be socially ignored.
The teacher will harass you for asking questions in class.
I’ll never get a job; other people are better than me.

Once your child identifies a Nagging Negativity, they need to crystallize the message of the harassing thought. It needs to be concise so it can be addressed in the next step.

They can take time to reflect on a recent episode when the negative thought was bothering them, and focus on the exact "words" of that thought. Here are a few common ones...

Nagging Negativity About Abilities

You're not __________ enough
You're not smart enough

Nagging Negativity About the Future

You'll never _________
You'll never be happy at work

Nagging Negativity About a Situation

If you __________ then ___________
If you go, no one will talk to you.

Once your child has a concise negative statement, they're ready for the "Delete" step, where they can evaluate its accuracy and discard it if it proves false. I'll be sharing more about that in "The Busting Free Blueprint: Part 2" post.

START A CONVO
Use these prompts to start a conversation with your child about this topic.

Do you think most young people are bombarded by negative thoughts about themselves, their futures, or specific situations?
What percent of those negative thoughts do you think are true
What do young people typically do in response?

Overcoming False Limiting Beliefs Series

Part 1: The Mind is Powerful and Dangerous

Part 2: How False Negative Beliefs Become Self-Sabotaging Behaviors

Part 3: Busting Free Blueprint: Part 1 (CURRENTLY READING)

Part 4:

Part 5:

About the Author

Jay DuSold

Jay has spent over three decades working with young people and parents as a mentor and life coach. He started focusing exclusively on career guidance in 2014 after helping his son figure out career direction while he was a junior in high school.

As a youth career guide, he helps teens and twenty-somethings around the world identify a job fit to gain clarity and confidence about career direction so they’ll reach their full potential and avoid the waste of getting it wrong.

As an author and speaker, he equips young people to think differently about their identity, true success, and figuring out where they can be awesome in the world of work. He also empowers youth advocates and organizations to more effectively support the young people they serve through their career guidance initiatives.