How to overcome feeling ‘not good enough,’ from a leadership coach—and keep it from hindering your career
🚀 Stop Chasing, Start Living: How to Crush the Limiting Beliefs That Are Holding You Back
Ever feel like you’re hitting an invisible ceiling in your career? You’re accomplished, capable, and yet—that nagging voice of doubt just won't quit.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. According to leadership coach and author of “The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living,” Amina AlTai, the key to unlocking true achievement isn't just hard work; it’s about having the right mindset.
The problem? Many of us are trapped by "limiting beliefs."
The "Not Good Enough" Trap
Limiting beliefs are those negative, often subconscious thought patterns that sabotage your potential. The most common one AlTai encounters? Imposter Syndrome.
"I’m a fraud, and someone’s going to figure out that I don’t know what I’m doing."
AlTai finds it "flabbergasting" to see successful, kind, and brilliant people questioning their own skills. This self-doubt can stop you from chasing major opportunities, even when you are objectively qualified.
The good news is that you can rewrite the script. Here is Amina AlTai’s powerful two-step strategy to tackle those limiting beliefs and expand your view of what's possible for you.
💡 Step 1: Uncover the Source
You can't fix what you don't understand. AlTai's first step is to trace your negative belief back to its origin.
Most limiting beliefs stem from a specific, often painful, past experience.
Example: For someone with imposter syndrome, the belief "I'm not good enough" might be rooted in a childhood memory, like: "I once raised my hand in elementary school, and everyone laughed when I got the answer wrong."
That single negative event got baked into your identity. To move past it, you have to find it and acknowledge it.
🏆 Step 2: Challenge the Belief with Hard Evidence
Once you know the root, you have to actively contradict it. AlTai advises using the concept of neuroplasticity—your brain's ability to form new connections—to create a new default pathway.
The Power of Three Positive Examples
The prescription is simple, but powerful: Gather three specific examples that serve as "evidence to the contrary."
These scenarios must demonstrate:
How you are knocking it out of the park at your job.
How you are the real deal.
Need a starting prompt? AlTai suggests asking yourself: "Tell me about the time that you felt really grounded and empowered in your body and your vision."
Your Response Might Be: "There was this time I was leading a major presentation, and afterward, three different colleagues told me what an amazing and game-changing perspective I had."
Make It a Daily Practice
The final step is turning this evidence into a new, ingrained belief:
Identify your three examples.
Set aside time every day.
Repeat those positive examples to yourself.
The goal? To practice this new, positive belief until "their brain does that as a default," replacing the old, self-sabotaging pathway.
⚠️ Crucial Note: AlTai stresses that this "prescription" must be specific to your lived experience. If the positive evidence doesn't resonate with your story, your brain won't believe it.
The External Perspective
Finally, if you’re struggling to see your own accomplishments, AlTai suggests looking outward:
"Look for the people who have done the thing that you want to do."
Seeing others succeed can powerfully “expand your belief system of what’s possible for you.” If they can do it, why can't you?