04:24

What If The Life You’re Living Isn’t Really Yours?

by Dana Retzlaff

Rated
4.8
Type
talks
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
265

Have you ever had a quiet moment where you wondered, Is this really my life? Not because anything is wrong, but because something feels… off. Like you’re following a path that was handed to you, rather than one you consciously chose. Most people feel this, but no one talks about it. In this episode, we’re going deep into the question that could change everything: What if parts of your life—your choices, your identity, your dreams—aren’t truly yours? And more importantly, what happens when you start listening to the part of you that knows the truth? This is not just another mindset shift. This is a wake-up call. Once you hear it, you won’t be able to live the same way again.

Self DiscoveryAuthenticityLife PurposeSocietal ExpectationsInner VoiceConscious LivingPersonal Growth

Transcript

There's something you feel.

It's always been there,

In the quiet moments,

In the spaces between conversations,

In the deep exhale after a long day.

It's a thought you push away,

Because saying it out loud might change everything.

It's this.

Sometimes,

You don't know if this life is truly yours.

Not because you don't love the people around you,

Not because you're ungrateful,

Not because anything is necessarily wrong,

But because at some point,

You started living a version of life that wasn't fully your own.

And now,

Here you are,

Going through the motions,

Smiling when you're supposed to,

Achieving,

Planning,

Doing all the right things.

But inside,

There's a whisper.

Is this really me?

Did I choose this,

Or did it just happen?

We are all born into a world that already has a path laid out for us.

Before you even know yourself,

There were expectations.

There were labels placed on you.

There were ideas about what success looks like,

What love should feel like,

Who you are meant to be.

And so,

Like everyone else,

You started following the map.

You did the things that were expected.

You became the version of yourself that fit.

You learned to be who the world told you to be.

And you didn't question it.

Because that's what you're taught.

But then,

One day,

You feel it.

The disconnect.

The quiet egg of something missing.

Not something external,

Something within you.

Most people ignore this feeling.

They drown it out with work,

With distractions,

With staying busy.

Because questioning your life,

Really questioning it,

Is terrifying.

Because if you admit that parts of this life aren't fully yours,

What does that mean?

That some of your choices weren't really yours?

That some of your dreams weren't truly your own?

That parts of your identity were shaped by what was expected of you,

Not by what you actually feel inside?

That's not an easy thing to sit with.

But it's real.

And the people who live the most awake,

Aligned and deeply free lives are the ones who face this question instead of running from it.

Imagine,

Just for a moment,

That a quiet voice inside of you is right.

That there is a different way.

That there is a life beyond the expectations,

Beyond the shoulds,

Beyond the version of you that has been shaped by everything outside of you.

What if you started listening?

What if you slowed down long enough to ask,

What is actually mine and what was given to me?

Who am I when no one else is watching?

What do I feel pulled toward,

That I've been afraid to admit?

Because here's the thing.

You are not stuck in this version of life.

You are not trapped in the story you were handed.

You have to be willing to see it first.

This isn't about throwing everything away.

It's not about tearing down the life you've built.

It's about making sure you are awake inside of it.

That you are choosing it.

That you are creating it fully,

Consciously,

Unapologetically.

So maybe the real question isn't,

Is this life mine?

Maybe the real question is how much more of myself am I ready to bring into it?

Because your life is not meant to be something you just fit into.

It is meant to be something you create from the deepest,

Truest part of yourself.

And that part of you,

It's still here.

It's been waiting for you to listen.

So now,

As you step back into your day,

Ask yourself,

What is one thing I can do today that feels like me?

Not what's expected.

Not what's comfortable.

Not what fits the version of me the world already knows.

Something that is fully,

Undeniably mine.

Because the more you choose that,

The more your life stops feeling like something you inherited and starts feeling like something you actually live.

Meet your Teacher

Dana RetzlaffKarlsruhe, Germany

4.8 (38)

Recent Reviews

Kathy

September 9, 2025

An amazing thought provoking message! As always another great way to my day!

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© 2026 Dana Retzlaff. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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