I’ve heard something like this many times from various sources, “our identity is made from the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves that our brain has gotten used to hearing and has adopted as the truth”. And, as I listen to people everywhere I go, I hear stories, lots of them.
So, when people say, “yeah that’s just me” or “that’s just the way I work”, it’s an easy way to get off the hook for something you’ve done or said that might not have had the intended impact. It’s also an easy way to convince yourself there is no need to be or do something differently. In the end it’s a bit of an excuse.
Or when people say, I really know myself and “that wouldn’t work for me” or “I know I wouldn’t like that”, and so on.
There is a great book called, “Breaking the habit of being yourself”, that I believe everyone should read by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
The good news is that by checking in on the stories we tell ourselves and tell others, we hear them, we can challenge them. By challenging them we can gain a better understanding of ourselves, for real.
What stories do you tell about yourself on a regular basis? Who do you tell them to?
The most important of these stories for me, the ones we have to stop telling, are the self limiting ones. They often start with something like:
I could never do that...
I’m too old to do that now...
At my age…
I don’t…
I can’t…
I’d never…
I’m inviting you to tune in to those stories. Look for how they may be holding you back. Imagine what things might be like if you didn’t listen to the story and did “it” anyway.
I’m rooting for you! Let me know how it goes!