How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs in 2025

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Your Best Year Ever Starts Today

It’s finally here! The 2025 Barefoot Book Club is officially kicking off, and we’re starting with Michael Hyatt’s Your Best Year Ever. I’m so excited to dive into this with you and share what I’m learning along the way.

This month, we’re walking through Hyatt’s five steps to achieving your most meaningful goals, starting with Step One: Believe the Possibility. If you don’t have the book yet but want to follow along, you can grab it here. 

Before we dive in, though, I want to tell you a story—one that helped me see the power of dreaming big, which was something I’d given up on for far too long. Because here’s the thing: you can’t pursue a dream if you don’t believe it’s possible.
But what do you do when fear, failure, or disappointment have made dreaming big feel not just hard—but pointless?

Soaring in the Stars

In November 2019, I boarded a flight to Dublin to visit my cousin during her semester abroad. At the time, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip—the kind you dream about but don’t always say yes to.

What I didn’t expect was how one moment on that trip would completely shift my perspective.

Just before takeoff, my phone buzzed. It was my grandmother calling from her hospital room. She’d been very ill, and I wasn’t expecting to hear from her. Her voice was weaker than usual, but her words came through strong: “I’m so proud of you girls,” she said. “Stepping out of your comfort zones like this—it’s a wonderful thing.”

Those words stopped me in my tracks. My grandmother wasn’t the type to dole out praise easily, so hearing her say that felt like more than just getting her approval—it felt like she was giving a blessing.

Hours later, as the plane soared over the Atlantic, I found myself gazing out the window at the stars. The sky was stunning—so vast and full of light that it felt almost unreal. This moment is perfect. I thought, The only thing that could make it better would be a shooting star.

Then doubt crept in. Why am I asking for more when this is already so beautiful? Isn’t that selfish? And worse, How foolish will I feel when nothing happens?

But before I could dwell on those thoughts, two shooting stars blazed across the sky. Not one, but two, and they were the brightest, most breathtaking shooting stars I had ever seen.

In that moment, it felt as though God was whispering, Why are you holding back? It’s okay to dream bigger. I have more for you.

What’s Holding You Back?

That experience made me realize how often we hold ourselves back—not because we’re incapable, but because we’ve convinced ourselves that the barriers around us are real.

Michael Hyatt shares a story about his dog, Nelson, who refused to cross the boundary of an invisible fence, even after his collar was off. The physical barrier was gone, but Nelson still believed it was there.

I saw the same thing with my childhood dogs, Max and Prince. They wouldn’t cross the line of their invisible fence, even when the batteries in their collars were dead. The squirrels figured this out and would tease them just beyond the boundary, but the dogs never tested it—they just stayed stuck where they thought they had to be.

Isn’t that what limiting beliefs do to us? We stop testing our boundaries because we’re so used to hearing the “warning beeps” of fear, failure, or disappointment. Over time, we stop asking, What if this isn’t true anymore?

Here’s the reality: those fences aren’t real. And the moment you push past them, you realize how much freedom has been there all along.

Shifting Your Mindset for Real Growth

Changing your mindset isn’t just about chasing a dream; it’s about setting yourself up for growth in every area of your life. In Your Best Year Ever, Hyatt outlines 10 life domains:

• Spiritual

• Intellectual

• Emotional

• Physical

• Marital

• Parental

• Social

• Vocational (work)

• Avocational (hobbies and recreation)

• Financial

These areas of life don’t exist in silos. When one part is struggling, it affects everything else.

I recently learned this the hard way when Wes and I became laser-focused on paying off our house. Financially, we were hitting our milestones and crushing it. But in the process, my health, and our relationship took a backseat. Then I took Hyatt’s LifeScore Assessment; it was like someone held up a mirror, and for the first time, I could see how completely out of balance I’d become. (I’ll share more about the LifeScore Assessment next week and you can try it for yourself. Stay tuned!) 

This year, I’m committed to focusing on goals that bring balance to every area of my life—not just one or two.

Action Step: Challenge Your Invisible Fences

Want to start breaking through your own invisible fences? Here’s a simple exercise:

1. Spot the fence.
   What’s one limiting belief holding you back? It could be something like, “I’m not good enough,” “I don’t have time,” or “It’s too late for me.”
   
   

2. Question it.
   Is that belief actually true—or just a story you’ve told yourself for so long that it feels true?
   
   

3. Replace it.
   Write down a new, empowering belief to replace the old one. For example: “I am capable of growth and change.”
   
   

4. Take action.
   What’s one small step you can take today to challenge that belief?
   

Your Best Year Ever Starts Now

This is just the beginning. Breaking free from limiting beliefs is the first step toward making 2025 your best year ever.

So, what’s one invisible fence you’re ready to challenge this year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments and cheer you on!

Next time, we’ll dive into Step Two: Complete the Past. We’ll explore how taking stock of what’s behind you—both the wins and the lessons—can set you up for success.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a post! We’ll move through this journey together, one step at a time, and by the end, you’ll be well on your way to living your best year ever. 

See ya then! 

Want to Read? Get the book here!

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt

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