What story about yourself do you need to stop repeating?

This question asks you to reflect on the stories you’ve been telling yourself about who you are, especially those that may no longer serve you.

We all carry narratives that shape our identities—stories we tell ourselves about our abilities, limitations, or past experiences. These stories often begin as protective mechanisms or explanations for why things happen. But over time, they can become limiting beliefs that hold us back.

For example, you might keep telling yourself that you're not good enough, that you’ve failed in the past so you’ll always fail, or that you're not capable of success because of one setback.

Philosophers like Epictetus emphasized the importance of re-framing our beliefs. In Stoic philosophy, it’s not events themselves that determine our happiness or suffering, but our perceptions of them. Similarly, the stories we repeat to ourselves shape the way we experience the world. If you continue telling yourself a limiting or negative story, you perpetuate those limitations. The question here isn’t about erasing your history—it’s about changing your perspective on it.

What is a story you’ve been holding onto that doesn’t serve you anymore? Is it a story of failure, inadequacy, or fear? And how could you rewrite that story, seeing it instead as a chapter of growth, resilience, or opportunity?

The stories we tell ourselves have immense power. Change the story, and you change the path ahead.