Everyone carries a narrative: I am not a morning person. I always give up. I am bad with people. These sentences feel like descriptions, but they behave like instructions. The mind works hard to keep the story consistent.

Stories are editable

The good news hidden in this: a story is a draft, not a verdict. When you catch yourself narrating — "typical me" — you have found an editing point. You are not asked to lie to yourself with forced positivity. You are asked to check the evidence.

Pick one sentence you say about yourself. Ask: is this always true? Was it ever untrue, even once? A single exception breaks the spell of "always".