I was chatting with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years.  She told me she was laid off from a job she enjoyed.  

As I listened, I heard the story she was telling herself about the layoff.

She’s too old to find a new job

She lacks skills because she was out of the workforce raising kids

It’s hard to find a job in her industry

She doesn’t know what to do

It got me thinking about the stories we all tell ourselves about what isn’t possible due to:

• Time
• Age
• Money
• Circumstances
• Health
• Knowledge
• Resources

What have you created a story about in your mind?

Having been a Pilates instructor for eighteen years I’ve heard a lot of stories about what people believe they can and can’t do due to physical pain or a health diagnosis.   The story often keeps them stuck.

I’ve also seen clients who are determined not to stay stuck in a story.  I had a client who learned to walk again after an autoimmune condition left him temporarily paralyzed.  He and his story are one of the highlights of my career.

I watched my Mom at 92 years old recover the ability to walk after a stroke paralyzed her left leg.  She wrote a story of determination and possibility.  You can read about it here.

I had a Pilates client who decided at the age of 40 to go to medical school.  She marched into the admissions office at USC and told them she wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

In the middle of medical school, her husband died of a heart attack.  She kept going and finished school.  She stayed true to her story and dream of wanting to be a pediatrician.

I love this quote from Gandhi: “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet".  

I would add don’t allow your own dirty feet to walk through your mind.

When a doctor told me that I would only get sicker and require more medication due to my Hashimoto’s diagnosis I never went back to her.  I didn’t want her story about me to determine my ability to reverse my autoimmune condition.

In our youth-obsessed culture, it’s very easy to create stories about what we can and can’t do as we age.  I hope you’ll hit the edit and delete buttons on what you believe is possible regardless of your age or circumstances.

Find someone who can be an example of what it is that you desire.  If they can do it so can you.

I hope you’ll write a new story.