Am I Too Old To Change?
By James Taylor
In this episode of #rightyourownstory I talk about a statement I hear a lot, namely, ‘I am too old to change’.
Perhaps you have even heard yourself saying this?
I tell a true story of how this came up during a casual conversation with someone, and how that conversation then progressed as we ‘went down the rabbit hole’, playing a little mental game to test its validity. The realisation the person came to was quite revealing!
You see, it is so very important you are extremely careful what you say about yourself (and to yourself) out loud in this way, because YOU are listening.
Another way to explain this is, your subconscious is listening!
The truth is, you are actually so powerful that If you say something to yourself enough times your subconscious will take it as a fact, (or even as a command), and an internal rebellion can then happen if you later try and change your thinking, or try and do something different.
It is like having two people who speak two different languages trying to complete a task, but they just can’t understand each other, and each have a different perspective on what is best.
It simply doesn’t work, and the stronger one will generally win, ie the subconscious, just because it has probably been there longer and is more settled in.
Perhaps you have even experienced this inner conversation yourself, and no-one has had to even say a word to put you off. Maybe you went for something, but that ‘other conversation’ was just too loud or persistent, so you slowly went back to the safety zone, tail between your legs, feeling slightly bruised and beaten.
Perhaps this has happened a few times too often!
This internal instructions you have within you are the glue that can keep you stuck, but it doesn’t have to be that way at all.
YOU can change this in a very subtle way, so YOU begin to teach the other part of you your language.
Variations on a theme can be:
I can’t do x,
I could never do x,
I am not clever enough,
I don’t have enough time, or even,
I am not good enough.
So in this episode I also give some tips on how to address this, and if you are saying these kind of things to yourself, I would suggest you pay close attention on how to stop it.
One tip that I didn’t mention in the podcast, but has occurred to me during the writing of these notes, is the power of the word ‘YET’. This changes everything, so those following statements then read as follows:
I can’t do x YET,
I could never do x YET,
I am not clever enough YET,
I don’t have enough time YET, or even,
I am not good enough YET.
Try this exercise:
1. Say the first version, and really notice how it makes you feel.
2. Give yourself a shake, stand up, move around, change your state, and take a breath.
3. Now do the second version, adding the word YET, and really listen to your own voice as you say it.
4. Notice if you feel any difference.
When you look at the subtle change here, what you are actually saying to your subconscious is, ‘I may not be able to do X right now, but that is not how it is going to always be’. Remember, it is listening, so this new message has a very clear instruction. It is time to change gear!
Just this alone causes a completly different outlook and difference, so test this out yourself.
It could be a game changer!
Best wishes all,
James
