Recently, I went for Mt. Kenya hiking and upon return, when one of my colleague learnt about the trip, he said 

“I also wanted to do it but I do not think I can hike for four days.”

“Have you done one day hiking trips?”

 He replied in negative. The small conversation ended but it left me thinking. Why would he give up without trying? What is the story he is telling himself?

 Henry Ford had got it right. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

We need to reboot and delete all such negative, self-limiting stories ( I can’t…) from our repertoire.  

We often tell stories to ourselves. We construct these narratives based on our experiences and the world around us. The stories become our life lens through which we view, experience and feel the world. It becomes our perspective and these narratives shape our action and behavior. These stories impact the way we see ourselves, the way we see others and the way we act in the future. Our actions are the direct result of our beliefs and thoughts.

Telling ourselves stories is natural and we do it all the time. There is nothing wrong with it. Although the above story was harmless and not a potential limiting story.  What if we tell such negative stories i.e. I am not good enough / I am an Idiot / I am worthless / I am lazy etc. to ourselves, which limit our potential and harm us. These negative narratives, which are not backed by evidence are not correct.

We need to reboot and delete negative and self-limiting stories from our repertoire.