Silent destruction and you

Recognize it. Acknowledge it. Change it.

Your biggest danger is invisible.

Yet it never leaves you alone.

It crushes you.

Forces you into mediocrity.

Turns your one life into one with no life.

And it’s completely made up.

Picture this:

You now live in a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment.

You needed a roommate, so your best friend introduced you to their cousin. The cousin seems nice enough.

You finally get all your stuff moved in. The mirrors are hung, the WiFi is blinking green, and you just tightened the last screw into your glass-top mid-century modern coffee table.

So you sit down to get to know your new roommate.

And you say,

“My dream job just opened up, believe it or not. I think I’m going to apply.”

And your new roommate laughs.

“Seriously? You’re underqualified. You’re never going to get it.”

You’re a little rattled, but you press on.

“I’m actually making pretty big strides right now. Starting to eat healthier, and I’m training for a 10K next May.”

More laughter.

“A 10K by May? Forget it. Too much training. Not enough time.”

You try one more time.

“I set a goal for 2024 — I’m planning on reading a new book every month.”

And again:

“You think you can do all that other stuff, AND find time to read? No shot.”

And … Scene.

Now take that imaginary roommate. Squeeze them into a silvery wisp of vapor. And insert that vapor into the front part of your brain, right behind the controls.

And every time you want to achieve something, ask that vapor what it thinks.

Every day. Every decision. For the rest of your life.

Sounds exhausting, right?

You’ve been living with this roommate for years.

We just call it "assumptions."

Researchers estimate we make ~35,000 decisions each day.

And each time we make these decisions, we make assumptions.

Since we have 35,000 decisions to make each day, we make most of them quickly. And assumptions — decisions based on past experiences — are an easy way to reduce our cognitive load.

But past experiences do not dictate future results.

When we make assumptions, we’re perceiving “truths” that have no basis in reality.

Some assumptions are positive. But many are negative. And limiting. And those limiting assumptions are the only mechanism in life with a guaranteed 100% failure rate.

You don’t try, because why bother? The outcome is already decided.

And every day, these assumptions become a little more common.

And they get a little more comfortable.

And then the most dangerous thing of all happens — we stop noticing them.

And that invisible vapor wisp of a roommate quietly manipulates the controls of our brain, lulling us into complacency without giving us the opportunity to prove it wrong.

Stop making assumptions.

Stop limiting yourself.

Stop stagnating.

Start challenging assumptions.

Start experimenting.

Start living.