How I break through limiting beliefs | the 5 phases of a breakthrough

The breakthrough cycle

I teach that all personal and professional growth follows a natural pattern-plants follow this growth pattern and humans do as well. I call it the Breakthrough cycle. Just like a plant was never meant to stay a seed, we were never meant to remain in our comfort zones. So…what happens next?

I recently had an amazing breakthrough around setting goals and believing my goals were “big” or “difficult”.

I went through each of these steps and along the way, I felt so reassured and confident because I knew what was coming. I knew that good things were already on their way to me.

The comfort zone

This is the place, not of comfort, but of familiarity. Even if what’s familiar is pain, poor treatment, disappointment, self-abandonment, frustration, and feeling judged or overlooked. Until we recognize that we get who we are, we can’t really change our results.

And when we decide we want something we’ve never had before, we step outside of our comfort zone and into:

The tension phase

During the tension phase, any limiting belief or block we are holding that prevents us from being successful will come up for us to deal with. For people unaware of the Breakthrough Cycle, they get wrapped up in the drama of it all, putting out fires and feeling frustrated and stressed with life.

We don’t need to have a tension buildup before a breakthrough- I think it’s important to clarify this. Tension ONLY builds when we hold limiting beliefs that conflict with our ability to accomplish our goals or have our dream. Focusing on our dream or goal inherently means that our unconscious mind releases to our awareness anything that prevents us from having it.

The problem is that most of us don’t know this and buy into it. Which leads to a breakdown.

But…if you’re like me and understand what’s happening, you learn to just observe how you’re showing up during the tension phase. Are you showing up with frustration, comparison, self-judgment, and more? How you be now is what you get back later.

Or…as the tension builds, are you loving yourself and others? Are you trusting that everything is unfolding for you, not happening to you? Are you smiling inside, knowing that no matter the external troubles, you know in the pit of your stomach that something good is about to unfold.

The decision point-breakdown or breakthrough?

When our mind is done providing us with our limiting beliefs on a platter, we are left with a decision. We can break down? or Breakthrough?

And every moment we spend judging, doubting, comparing, regretting, hesitating, and more, ensures that we break down instead of breakthrough.

But ever moment that we choose to see the good, we choose to focus our thoughts toward what we want, we celebrate our lives, we choose love and compassion , we are then choosing a breakthrough.

And I think it’s important to say this (this stuck with me after one of my mentors shared this):

You don’t NEED to have a breakdown in order to have a breakthrough…but if you’re going to break down…you might as well break through, right?

So, what is a breakthrough?

A breakthrough is a sudden realization that provides us with clarity, direction, and momentum toward our desired life. It’s that “a-ha!!” moment, the glass-house shattering, the light-bulb clicking on, the sudden awareness where you’ll never see your life and choices the same way again. And deep inside, this “new” realization is not new-it’s truth that you’re remembering after years of smothering it with limitations.

Why do we need breakthroughs?

Breakthroughs change the way we act! Now that we understand things differently, we feel differently-hopeful, an inner knowing in our tummies, curious.

Once we feel differently, we start acting differently. Our actions are fueled by possibility instead of predictability. We act from the place of already having the thing we want-this perspective and the feelings it brings up for us naturally lead us to choose different actions than we would have before a breakthrough.

Now, instead of splattering things against a wall to see what sticks, you’re showing up from the energy of “I do all I can with all I have and I know the universe will meet me with like force.”

And that’s when your results truly change.

When I had a breakthrough around viewing my goals as small rather than big and difficult, I made my goal! I created a $25k month and couldn’t be prouder!

So, is breaking through limiting beliefs worth it?

Absolutely. (see above-confidence, and a $25k month.)

Does it get results?

It’s the ONLY thing that really does get results. It was never force applied. It was the thoughts that created the force…applied in the right direction.

So, next time you feel the tension building, I want you to remember this;

what if the tension in your life right now is just a sign that good things are coming? ⁠⁠

What do you think? Have you experienced the Breakthrough Cycle in your life? I’d love to hear about it-comment below and share:

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Ready to breakthrough your own limiting beliefs? Here’s how The Breakthrough Method can help you wherever you are at in your mindset journey:

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My short-term transformational coaching to help you eradicate the 4 biggest money blocks deep in your unconscious mind. Perfect for people who are done doubting themselves and burning out, and ready to become magnetic to money.

Private Breakthrough Mentorship

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4 things you need to know about breakthroughs

Helping women breakthrough limited thinking to upleveled abundance and freedom is my life’s work. I’m super into creating breakthroughs, if you haven’t notice ;) I mean, a breakthrough is a super cool, life-changing experience with huge results…but I can’t sit silently letting you believe that breakthroughs and uplevels are really the answer to your problems. So, here’s the truth about breakthroughs that people don’t realize. If you don’t know these things getting into personal growth…you may sabotage your own growth and have no idea why you’re so unhappy.

What is a breakthrough?

A breakthrough is a sudden dramatic change in thoughts and behavior. And it doesn't happen by accident. 

It's actually the most natural process in the world-look at nature. Flowers breakthrough their seeds and the ground, growing until they burst into full bloom, creating seeds for future growth. Would you think it was normal if you planted seeds and nothing happened? No-you expect a result. 

The same is true for us. We are meant to crack open, grow, and burst forth into the full bloom of our purpose and impact. So, why don't we? 

Instead of completing the breakthrough cycle, we humans are the ONLY part of nature that chooses to not bloom.  And I'm saying it's time we stopped that.  

Learn more about Stephanie’s Breakthrough Method Coaching

Breakthroughs stretch you to your physical, emotional, and belief limits.

Breakthroughs bring up stuff from our shadow side, our past, and our beliefs. They increase the tension and stress between what we want and what we believe until it induces a breaking point. It can trigger emotions that drain us and external circumstances that tax our ability to stay focused, healthy, and abundant amid the increased tension of our outdated beliefs and our desired beliefs.

Breakthroughs can’t be sped up

they may be instantaneous…but they also could take days…weeks…or even months. Let’s face it…when we know we need a full breakthrough, we want. it. NOW. I see people start rushing into them like they’re able to really speed up the process. But in reality, they’re not speeding it up…theyr’e adding steps between them and their breakthrough.

Breakthroughs challenge your ability to accept yourself

here’s the big question a breakthrough offers us:
”can you accept yourself as you are right now…even if you never change?”

Most people get really antsy and impatient when they know a breakthrough is coming. They NEED to be a different, better person. But…that’s scarcity talking. And a breakthrough-a true breakthrough invites us to accept ourselves right where we are as the fastest way to start changing.

Breakthroughs thrive in a supported environment

I know we always want to deal with our stuff all by ourselves-get our ish together behind closed doors and THEN hire a coach or join a mastermind…but that perspective may actually reduces the impact of your breakthrough. Breakthroughs actually need awareness and openness.

So, If you’re thinking that you’re ready to breakthrough your limited thinking and really tap into abundance, growth, and impact…be warned. This work is NOT for the faint of heart.

But, if you read this and think “this sounds hard, but can I really afford not to do it?” then you’re going to experience really incredible growth.

I can help you do that here:

3 things you need to know about upleveling

An uplevel is the phase following a breakthrough where you assimilate a higher energetic state and assimilate new beliefs into your thinking. It’s a REALLY cool phase, but I notice that people (myself included) often view it as their savior-they think an uplevel solves all their mindset problems. They’ll be reveling in pure bliss, total abundance, and will never have a stressor again.

And when the cold, hard, reality of an uplevel sinks in, people have a tendency to search for their good old comfort zone again, undoing all their dedicated personal growth work.

So here’s what ACTUALLY happens when you uplevel

An uplevel is a physical and healing experience

Emotions vibrate at specific frequencies  in our bodies (like radio stations). Joy vibrates the highest, fear vibrates the lowest.

the higher the vibration in our bodies, the more easily our cells communicate with each other, your body then heals and grows, and we attract in things on that same wavelength.

For contrast, when we vibrate at the heaviest, lowest frequencies of fear, guilt, shame, or anger, our brain sends mixed, confusing messages to our cells. Our cells vibrate slower and communicate with each other less. This causes breakdown in the body, illness, and disease.

Case in point-does stress affect you?

yeah.

That’s vibrational incoherence in your body triggered by low vibration emotions.

An uplevel is the act of your body assimilating the energy and higher frequency that comes with elevated emotions and beliefs.

This is super cool…but is a physical experience-you may experience dizziness, buzzing in your ears, clumsiness, or confusion. That’s normal and very temporary. It may feel draining at first, but soon, you’ll feel incredibly joyful and energized!

An uplevel has requirements

Upleveling is like going to a club (which is a hilarious example because I’ve never been to one…but it fits!) When you get to an uplevel, you need to prove you’re in the right place, much like arriving at a club and a bouncer asking for your ID. If you’re meant to be there, you’ll be able to meet the requirements and prove it through:

• personal boundaries

• forgiveness

• letting go of limiting beliefs

• acting as if you’ve already accomplishing your big goals

After an uplevel, you’ll experience new opportunities to ‘put your money where your mouth is’ and act like you believe what you believe. This comes out in how we move through relationships, circulate money, and engage with ourselves.

If you uplevel, you’re accepting the opportunity to act like it. And you’ll be tested-this is simply God showing us exactly where to put our beliefs into action.

Uplevels aren’t permanent…

I know! no one wants to hear this! But it’s true. Uplevels aren’t a guaranteed permanent level in our lives (really, the only thing that’s permanent is impermanence.). If you don’t actually implement your beliefs when you are tested, you’ll naturally search for your comfort zone. That’s the very binary reality of mindset work-you either choose to implement your changes OR you retreat to your comfort zone.

So next time you think that you’re permanently at a new level, remember that an uplevel requires maintenance, just like reaching your goal weight. You don’t stop eating healthfully or moving your body. You maintain your progress in your mind just as you do in your body.