Click for video on Strangler Fig

There we were in an incredible, pristine Costa Rican rainforest. Our biologist guide had led us to one of the most amazing trees I have ever seen – the Strangler Fig. What a diabolical epiphyte.

Here’s what it does: seeds of the Strangler Fig land in the canopy of a massive, healthy rainforest tree – typically in the form of bird excrement. (Remember, it all starts with crap.)

The seed begins to take root and then sends shoots down to the ground around the trunk of the healthy host tree. The shoots then take root, drawing nutrients from the soil around the base of the tree, and begin to grow rapidly.

The shoots grow and grow until they completely surround the host tree trunk in a type of death grip lattice work. The tree ends up completely encompassed by the Strangler Fig which chokes the life out of the tree until it dies. A mature Strangler Fig is hollow on the inside where the host tree used to thrive. It is now a hollow representation of the host tree’s former glory.

As I stood there looking at the Strangler Fig listening to the biologist’s description of how this tree operates I thought, “That is totally diabolical.” It then began to dawn on me that this is an incredibly profound picture of what happens to us in life.

Let me explain…

Everyone has what I would call “limiting beliefs” – those things we believe about ourselves that limit our effectiveness, our impact, our presence, out strength, our capability, our life. Limiting beliefs were planted in our heart (you may say “minds”) typically when we were quite young: sometime between the ages of 4 and our early twenties. They tend to get planted in times of difficulty and pain. Times when we were hurt emotionally, when we failed, messed-up, under performed, etc.

For example, a young boy is told by his teacher that he will never amount to anything. That hurtful “lie” is planted in his heart and the limiting belief begins to grow. Now he is a successful business man in his 50s stepping into an exciting new venture and he has to fight that limiting belief again that he is destined to fail because he won’t really amount to anything.

If you are honest with yourself you know that you have these. I just spent a week with dozens of highly successful leaders who all began to realize the limiting beliefs that they have believed about themselves.

Those limiting beliefs are the “strangler fig” in our lives.

Limiting beliefs that are not dealt with in our hearts will slowly grow and choke the life out of us. We end up a hollow representation of the person we really could be.

We need to be aware of the limiting beliefs that have grown in our hearts. They come as thoughts that seem to make sense at the time, but they will destroy your life if you don’t deal with them. I would suggest that you create a “Book of Lies” in a journal. Simply write down all the negative “thoughts” that roll around in your head on a daily basis.

Here is an example of some lies/limiting beliefs many people have believed:

• I have nothing to offer
• I am insignificant
• I am not good enough
• I am destined to fail
• I can’t count on anyone
• No one really wants me around
• I don’t need anyone
• This is as good as it gets – I can’t expect anything better
• I don’t matter
• I have no real strength
• I am insignificant and always will be
• I have to win to be acceptable

When we have a thought that is a limiting belief we need to deal with it. Don’t believe it. Do not agree with it. Throw it out. Do not let it take root – it will choke the life out of you.

This isn’t a cute little illustration – this is a life and death exercise. We must learn to live this way every moment of every day. Take your thoughts captive and limit your limiting beliefs. Don’t let the ‘Strangler Fig’ take root.