Transcending Ancestral Limitations

What is your driving purpose(s) or motivation in life? What do you want to achieve? What lights you on fire? Or maybe your purpose manifests in a quieter way, such as certain interactions that bring you fulfillment, peaceful joy, or a warm feeling inside. Whatever your purpose or goals may be, have you ever had trouble reaching them?

One of my purposes is to help people realize their desired life. Sometimes in the past it felt like no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t fulfill that purpose very much. I tried to put the word out about my work, but it never got much traction.

In addition to taking outward actions, I diligently worked through any inner blockages to success that I could determine, such as the idea that I’m not good enough, etc. Still, the needle didn’t move very much. What did end up moving me towards my goals was to challenge the limitations that were handed down to me from my ancestors.

If we find we are having trouble achieving any of our personal or professional goals, we may have some ancestral limitations that are waylaying us. Though our ancestors are/were always doing the best they could, their main motivation can be to preserve the family line and keep things as they were. This can play out in quite a few ways, some of which might not align with our deepest desires or what is best for us.

For example, many of our ancestors experienced a lack of abundance, whether it was in finances, satisfying relationships, outer accomplishments, or any other aspect of their lives. This could have led to a limiting belief being passed down the family line (e.g., “there’s never enough”, or “I’m a failure”).

Through no fault of their own, such as societal constraints or even being persecuted, they may not have been able to reach for what they wanted. Some of our ancestors may have coped by playing it safe, staying small, and being content with what they had. As a result, we may not have inherited the tendency or the motivation to strive for goals.

If you have ever experienced a lack of focus or drive that runs contrary to your goals, an ancestral constraint can sometimes explain it. Generational beliefs might also cause us trepidation in moving towards big dreams because it is akin to stepping into the vast unknown with no ancestral support.

Some of us want to live a simple life, fulfilling a purpose that will remain relatively unknown to others, but we have persistent self-judgment about it. Part of that judgment might stem from unconscious ancestral pressures.For example, some ancestors would want their descendants to be outwardly successful in order to prove something. They might want to prove that their subjugated culture, ethnicity, etc. is capable of more than they were able to demonstrate in the past. Or maybe our ancestors were financially successful, and simply want us to continue that pattern.

There can be so many possibilities for what an ancestral limitation might be and how it began. Often we are not aware of which specific ancestral limiting beliefs are hindering us until we begin to explore and uncover them.All of these examples are from actual coaching/healing sessions I have done.

The important thing for us to know is that we don’t have to take on these constraints. For the sake of our own fulfillment and for the sake of improving our world, we can gain awareness of ancestral limitations and change them within ourselves. These changes will then ripple out to our children, grandchildren, and all those we touch. Knowing this is a powerful motivation for me to keep evolving and growing. And we can embark on this path at any age!

I also want to be clear in saying that we have all inherited many positive qualities and belief systems as well as limitations. We only want to update what is not serving us.

​​I offer you a blessing: May you be free from inner and outer constraints in living your purpose and achieving your goals. And may the ripple effect be greater than what you can imagine.