Stop Letting Your Past Define Your Future

Do you feel like you're spinning your wheels, stuck in a narrative you wrote years ago? Maybe it's a career path you haven't explored, a relationship you haven't pursued, or a personal dream left untouched. Do you ever ask yourself why? Often, it’s from the stories we tell ourselves – the ones that whisper, "You aren’t that," long before we even try.

For years, these stories kept me playing it safe and stuck. They were all I knew and if I’m being honest, there was a part of my life I didn’t even recognize these were even stories. I thought they were fact and believed that’s who I was. It wasn’t until later that I realized these stories were holding me back in almost every aspect of life: my career, relationships, and even personal growth. Do you find your stories holding you back in your life? Do you even recognize that you are living a life based upon stories written years ago?

Maybe they aren’t even your stories, maybe they were passed onto to you from your parents or family. Either way, when I reflect back I realized the times that I felt the most Unstoppable involved me breaking free from my programed scrips. Life becomes so much more when we identify and challenge the narratives holding us back. It's in those moments of committing to what we want, not just what we believe we can have, that we discover what we're truly capable of. Beyond our stories.

Take, for instance, my whole "I'm not a runner" story I believed for over 30 years. I was so certain that I hated to run until I decided to test this story. (Every month I challenge a story I tell myself to see if it’s true).

Like most things, I start with consistency first, and perfection last. I started started with ten minutes of running before each workout.

Those first runs weren't sunshine or rainbows. They were boring and miserable. But I kept showing up. Slowly, the "I’m not a runner” story began to fade as I realized I was a runner. Running became more than just exercise; it became a metaphor for facing the stories I had wrote and realizing that I get to write my own narrative.

The proof came one sunny weekend morning, not my typical running day. I had this crazy idea. Why don’t I just go for a run today? Crazy right? The next thing I knew, I was five miles deep, surrounded by nature and feeling alive! It felt like a revelation. By challenging my "I don't run" narrative, I'd unknowingly embarked on a new path and a new identity.

My new identity? Running three miles, four days a week. I have found that running in nature and being alone with my thoughts helps me, notice, challenge and rewrite the stories that once held me back.

Let me be honest – running still isn't my cup of tea. At least not before I start. But the feeling of accomplishment after, and the sense of empowerment I feel knowing I am creating a version of myself that I want rather than a version I am familiar with? That is worth it every single time!

To become Unstoppable means to question the stories you tell yourself. Are they true reflections of who you are, or are they simply outdated scripts holding you hostage?

So take a moment to question where you are, what you are doing and who you are. Is it a version of yourself that you really want to be, or just a version you are comfortable with? If not then maybe it’s time to challenge the stories that you are telling yourself. Are they helping you or holding you back?