Please note that this is an Archived article and may contain content that is out of date. The use of she/her/hers pronouns in some articles is not intended to be exclusionary. Eating disorders can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights.

By Quinn Nystrom

I think Brene Brown said it best “You know what we call a decision with limited data points and little “other” information? A conspiracy.”

We’ve all had negative stories about ourselves that we’ve done a pretty good job of harboring for as long as we can remember. Not just “stories”…but also self-limiting beliefs that keep us stuck and “less than” our true selves. Not only do we give these conspiracies a place to reside, many of us tend to feed, water and nurture them until they become like an unruly weed with roots down to the center of the earth.

These “conspiracies” about ourselves could have generated from an off-hand comment from eons ago (think High School gym locker room) or from an unkind verbal label thanks to an unhealthy relationships in our past. Unfortunately, many people harbor hurt and conspiracies about themselves thanks to a rough childhood or a messy divorce.

Conspiracy theories like I’m bad at math or I am no good at turning corners are no more than self-fulfilling prophecies that we drag around behind us like a clunk of sod that is stuck to our heel. And the really damaging ones like I am unlovable or I can’t ever do anything right only work to continually chip away at the foundation of our self-worth, confidence, and joy.

“The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity,” Brene Brown.

So, starting today, I want you to chop that conspiracy weed off at it roots and give it the heave-ho so that it will never take hold in your life again. Instead of focusing on thoughts and beliefs that contain limited data points and little ‘other’ information, own the fact that, as a human being that matters, there is nothing that can ever take the truth of your goodness away from you… unless you let it.

There is no mistake you could make, no act you could commit, not a thing that another could do to you, that could ever make you less than who you are. You are a beautifully vibrant and growing human being with endless possibilities for an amazing life.

So grab your weed whacker, rise up and create some amazing stories of greatness in 2019.

Steps for Kicking Self-Limiting Thoughts to the Curb

Remember it is YOUR story: No one earthly person has the right to write our story for us. If this chapter in your life makes you grumpy…write a new one. Only you are the editor and the author of your life’s path. Make it a good story.

Consider the Source: Though it is easier to know this in our heads and harder to practice it with our hearts, the fact remains that it truly is not our business what others think of us. Once again, Miss Brown says it best: “Just because we didn’t measure up to some standard of achievement according to someone else doesn’t mean that we don’t possess gifts and talents that only we can bring to the world. Just because someone failed to see the value in what we can create or achieve doesn’t change its worth or ours.”