Rewrite Your Story: Breaking Free from Limiting Labels

Have you ever felt trapped by labels like “I’m not smart enough” or “I’m just bad at this”? In this episode, we’ll uncover how these limiting beliefs hold you back and, more importantly, how to break free from them. You’ll learn three powerful steps to challenge old narratives, discover your true potential, and rewrite your story into one of growth, confidence, and success. It’s time to ditch the labels and embrace the limitless possibilities waiting for you. Let’s get started!

IG: @themrmindd

Transcript

Ryan Johnson 1 (00:00):

You ever caught yourself saying, that's just who I am, even though it's holding you back. Or maybe it's I'm not a math person, or I'm just not good writing things, or this is just how my life goes all the time. Well, what if I told you that these labels aren't facts, they're just stories that you've accepted. Today we're going to uncover how to stop these labels, how to spot 'em and stop 'em, how to challenge their validity, and how to rewrite them into empowering beliefs. Let's break free and rewrite your story. Thank you so much for tuning into the Mr. Mind podcast for your twice a week dose of living. Well, guys, I want you to imagine a child who loves to draw. I mean, day in, day out, he's drawing. His family is at a restaurant with him. He's on the table drawing. Yeah, I'm talking about Denny's. And one day he goes to his teacher and he shows his art. He's really proud, and this teacher tells him and says, art isn't your strength. You should focus on academics.
(01:10)
Of course, that's going to hurt the child. But what a lot of us don't understand is that that has life long effects. It's not just right then and there. No, no, no. A lot of times it will suppress that child's creativity. Keep in mind, it was this teacher who said it, right? It wasn't just a random kid. It was someone that he looked up to, possibly it was someone that he saw as an authority figure. Now they're saying that he sucks, not really sucks, but that he shouldn't do it. That he should focus on mathematics or something else. Instead, that label might stick with them even as an adult. Labels such as that, they usually stem from isolated events, yet we internalize them as defining truths. That's something that we need to get past. Here's one, I'm terrible with money. You ever heard that one before?
(02:08)
I mean, growing up in a household where money was tied or poorly managed, it might lead to this belief. I know I grew up in a household such, but here's the thing. It creates a self-fulfilling prophecy where someone's going to avoid financial planning. It's going to reinforce that label because that's what we do. It's all subconscious. So what's one label that you believed about yourself for years? Where do you think it came from? I know one of mine, well actually have a couple. One of 'em, is that I lose things all the time. Another is just, man, I suck with electronics. Or when I get something, something's going to break, right? If I'm not going to have the right piece when I purchase a desk, this's going to be a piece missing.
(02:55)
I purchased a camera, and the camera, I was like, oh, man, here we go. I open it and it didn't even come with a battery. Are you serious? Come on. Come on, Fuji. Let's get it right, baby. It didn't come with a battery. And I'm like, of course. Of course it didn't, because that always happens to me. And guess what? Ever since I said that, it just does. It happens, right? Self-fulfilling. Ever since I said that, it seems to happen more. That's weird, huh? Another one of my beliefs is one of the self beliefs that I have, though bad ones, is we always capped at a certain amount of money. And it's weird how it came about. It's kind of like I always see my account and it'll be at a certain amount of money. I think it goes up, it goes down, it goes up, it goes up.
(03:57)
But then all of a sudden I look at it and it's at that same amount, and I'm like, how the heck does this happen? Am I stuck at this same amount of money? Why? Okay, well, I did investments there and tried that and purchased a new vehicle for the company, but if I didn't do that, it would've went up, or would it have, would I have just did a whole self-fulfilling prophecy thing and splurged it on other investments and such? That's what it feels like is happening. But here's how we break free from the labels.
(04:36)
We need to question their origin. For instance, someone might be thinking, I'm shy. Okay, well ask yourself, who told you that? Was it a teacher who noticed you were quite in class, a parent? Who compared you to a sibling? What was it? Because it's usually that. I know when I was younger, they'd always say, oh yeah, Ryan, he's the shy one. Oh yeah, he is always next to mom. He's the shy one. So where did yours come from? And keep in mind, guys, this label might've been true in one context, but it doesn't define who you are in every situation.
(05:17)
Let's stick with the shy one. Yeah, I might be shy when around big crowds, but give me a mic and it's completely different person. Something else you need to do is look for contradictory evidence. Let's say I'm bad at public speaking. What you're going to do is you're going to recall a moment where you confidently shared your ideas in a meeting or gave advice to a friend because you know what that is? Public speaking, not to a huge crowd. No, maybe not. Maybe a group of peers, maybe just one person, but it's public speaking. And when you find that instance, you could frame it as frame it say, you can communicate effectively. You've done it before. That's your proof. So you're not just blowing smoke. It's your proof.
(06:08)
And what are we're going to do is we're going to replace that label with empowering language. Let's go to another one. I'm bad at managing time. We can shift that too. I'm learning to improve my time management skills, and this isn't just one of those affirmations that aren't true. This is something that you're actually learning to do. I'm learning to improve my time management skills every day. I'm becoming more organized and efficient. Every day, I'm becoming more organized and efficient. Something that we need to do is we need to take control of our narrative. For instance, JK Rowling, she was told that she'd never succeed as a writer and faced multiple rejections before publishing Harry Potter. I mean multiple, not just one, two.
(06:55)
But what was she told? That she'd never succeed. As a writer, you're never going to succeed as a writer. You're never going to succeed as a writer. Hey, jk, you're never going to succeed as a writer. Wait. You are going to succeed as a writer. Jk. Double re success isn't dictated by labels, but by persistence and self-belief. By persistence and self-belief. What you're going to do is you're going to challenge your labels. You're going to try one small thing outside your comfort zone this week. And what thing is that? Maybe something that your labels pressing is pressing against, right? Is forcing upon you. Oh, I suck at organizing. Okay, that's fine. Try organizing your room. Try organizing your living room. Try organizing your desktop. Try organizing something. Take that step. When you take that step, the ball starts to roll. So here's the practical steps that we're going to do for today. You're going to write down one limiting label that you believe about yourself, just one. Then you're going to identify evidence that challenge it, and then you're going to craft a new statement to replace it, such as going from I'm too old to start something new to it's never too late to grow, and I have the wisdom to succeed.
(08:21)
I really want you to understand that labels don't define you. They're just stories, and you have the power to rewrite them. Everyone does. The next chapter of your life is blank, waiting for you to write it. So here's the question. What's one small step that you'll take this week to rewrite a limiting label? Share your story with me. I'd love to hear it. And remember, you're the author of your life and your possibilities are limitless. Until next time, keep believing, growing, and creating your best story. Thank you so much for tuning into the Mr. Mind Podcast. Could you do me a favor before you leave? The very last person that you text, they might be having a bad day. You never know. So if you can text them and let them know, Hey, I hope your day is going great. Hey, I hope your morning is going great. Hey, I hope your evening is going great because you never know. They just might need it. Aloha.