About a decade ago, I had a motorbike accident. Six broken ribs, a shattered shoulder blade, punctured lung. I couldn’t walk for 2 weeks. I almost died.
As soon as I could walk again, I started exercising.
It was painful. I’d get out of breath from just walking. Doing bodyweight squats nearly made me faint.
And yet, I kept going.
Not because of willpower. Not because I’m especially disciplined. But because of the story I told myself.
"If I wanted to live normally again sooner, I needed to move. Demands of the environment drive adaptation."
Within a month, I was back to training clients (I did fitness coaching back then).
Now imagine if I had told myself a different story.
“It’s pointless.”
“My life is ruined.”
“I can’t do anything until I’m fully recovered.”
That story would’ve kept me stuck. I would’ve stayed in the hospital longer, taken months more to recover, maybe even slipped into depression.
We are just our stories
I want you to see with me something here: every single one of us can CHOOSE our stories. (I didn't know it back then)
What story are you telling yourself about your health? Your work? Your age? Mondays? Opportunities? This upcoming week?
It’s all just a story.
And the story you choose today will shape your week far more than what actually happens.
Over the past few months, I’ve realized something, really leaning into clients' narratives: if you want to master yourself - what you do or don’t do, whether you stay stuck in old patterns or grow every day - you first need to master the narrative in your head.
Step #1: realize you have a choice.
Step #2: put in the reps💪
Every time the old story pops up and you swap it for a better one - that’s a rep. Just like training a bicep.
Nietzsche famously said:
“He who has a strong enough why will figure out any how.”
Reminders, rewards, accountability - all of that helps. But if the story in your head is weak, none of it sticks.
So if your motivation keeps coming and going, if habits don’t stick, old patterns keep coming back, start here: what story is your mind telling you? And is that story strong enough to carry the weight of the person you want to become?
Over to you dear reader,
Is the conversation in your head helping you move forward or holding you back?
Is "I'm too old", "life is unfair", "somebody always gets ahead", "I just don't have the credentials", "nobody will support me", "I don't know enough", "I don't have what it takes", "I've always been that way", "Mondays always suck", "I hate doing this, why can't it be just easy?", "they are all against me",... working for you?
If not - you can change this record.
That’s where “self-sabotage” lives. In your stories.
PS. A simple way to start rewiring your stories:
Try a Thought Audit exercise.
For a day, or a week, write down the conversations in your head when you feel disempowered or about to do something you’ll regret, or right after it. After a week, review your stories: Which stories serve me? Which ones don’t? How can I reshape the unhelpful ones into narratives that move me closer to who I want to be? (I walk you through the exercise and give you additional tools on Change Wired podcast)
