Ever feel like you’re getting stuck? Wonder if there’s some hidden factor that keeps you from being the woman you want to be, having the life and career that you want to have?

It’s possible that your limiting beliefs about yourself—or what’s possible for you—are holding you back.

I often think of limiting beliefs as a set of invisible blinders. You don’t know they’re there, but they limit your sense of what’s possible for you. They keep you from applying to the job that would actually challenge you. They keep you from setting those big bold business goals that would have you playing with the big boys girls (women.)

“But if they’re invisible, Mia, how will I know if I even have them?” I hear you saying.

Over the next few days I’m going to be sharing the top four signs I see that you have limiting beliefs that are holding you back.

Sign #1: You often feel bored in your role.

If you’re bored at work, you may need to level up to be doing work that’s more challenging. And that means throwing your hat into the ring for opportunities at work that feel just slightly out of your comfort zone. Roles that you don’t 100% know how to do yet, but you know you can learn.

Women often get stuck undervaluing ourselves. As Sheryl Sandberg writes in Lean In, men are more likely than women to say, “I’ve only got 3 out of 5 qualifications…. Hell yeah! I can rock this job.” Women are much more likely than men to say, “I’ve only got 4 out of 5 …. I just can’t apply.”

I worked with a woman who was bored and unhappy at work and helped her recognize this pattern in herself. Because she couldn’t rely on her assessment of whether she was qualified, I gave her an assignment to make sure that a percentage of the jobs she applied to, she only felt 4/5ths qualified for.

That simple strategy shut down her inner critic.

Stepping out of her comfort zone with intention helped her ignore the negative self talk (“you’re not good enough”) by telling herself “But Mia said I had to do this” instead.

[Insert empowerment coach’s evil laughter here. I love being the bad guy girl—for a good reason.]

In our time together, she transitioned from being unenthused and unhappy with her job into a challenging new role that she loves.

Are you feeling bored with your work? Do you have other experiences with limiting beliefs? Comment below and share your thoughts!