Tell Yourself A New Story

This thought provoking meditation will help release limiting beliefs and move you into alignment with your truth. Lou will help you to shift your perspective so that you create a more empowering story and feel more confident, strong, and whole. In the first 2 minutes, Lou shares his insight and inspiration for the practice.

Transcript

I'm going to start with a story really quick to share the inspiration for this practice.

In Los Angeles recently,

Payless,

The discount shoe retailer,

Set up a pop-up shop where they sold a fake brand called Palesi.

It was supposed to be this fake new designer brand and they did it through a pop-up shop and they invited a lot of influencers and people that were interested in high and luxury brands and they were selling their $20 shoes for hundreds and hundreds of dollars and these people were taking pictures of them and commenting how cool they were and they were totally bought in with this new designer brand.

And then after the two days they had these people on video and they showed them what happened when they told them that this was not a luxury brand like a Gucci or a Prada but it was actually Payless shoes that they were looking for.

For those of you not in America,

Payless is a very cheap discount sort of store and the look on these people's faces were unbelievable.

And it was probably my favorite marketing stunt because it showed how our perception of reality is directly influenced by the stories that we tell ourselves.

So when they're telling yourself the story that this is a designer brand and this is nice they see the world,

They see those shoes,

All of the positive things about them.

And so often the stories that we tell ourselves are running our life and we so often have bought into stories that aren't true.

Stories like I'm not good enough to do something,

All these limiting beliefs,

Stories like where we should be in our life,

I should be married,

I should be this far apart,

I should be this successful in my life by now.

Unfortunately we don't have someone coming and saying surprise,

The stories that you believed they aren't actually true.

But meditation is a practice that can do that for us and in the quiet of our own hearts when we start to rewrite our own stories we learn that we are capable of so much more than we think.

So go ahead and find your comfortable seat,

Go ahead and get grounded either on the floor or on a cushion,

On a chair,

Allow your hands to fall where they feel nice,

Feel comfortable.

Close down the eyes,

Lengthen the sides of the waist,

Lengthen the neck,

Soften the jaw and begin to come into your breath.

Finding an expansiveness,

Finding an openness with each inhale and allowing yourself to release and come down with each exhale.

Getting your tailbone to your chair,

Your hands to your thighs or between your lap,

By your side.

And beginning to feel the connection of the breath move in and out through your body.

Setting ourselves up to be and to hear the truth of who we really are.

So go ahead and just take another few moments to find your center.

And if it helps it might feel okay to note inhaling with each inhale and just note silently exhaling with each exhale.

And we're going to do a little practice,

A little visualization today.

So let's take a cleansing breath in and let it out.

And I'd like you to imagine in your mind's eye that you are sitting in a classroom.

So any classroom that you can imagine,

It's just you,

So there's just one chair in the middle of an empty classroom.

And it's an adult chair.

Notice whatever classroom comes to mind,

Maybe it's a childhood classroom,

Maybe you're a teacher and it's a classroom that you teach in.

Notice what's on the wall,

Maybe those little fun alphabet posters or all of the things that are in a classroom.

And we're looking at a chalkboard so we're going to keep it old school.

Just find your chair,

Notice what it's like to sit in this chair.

Just gaze around for another breath to get your surroundings.

And begin to look closer at the chalkboard.

And I'd like you to see on the chalkboard all of the limiting stories that you may have told yourself or that you may have adopted from other people.

These can be as simple as I'm too old,

I don't have enough time,

I don't deserve it,

I'm not capable of doing something like that,

I'm not good enough,

I don't belong,

Who am I to do something like that?

I could never do that,

That's not me.

Anything that you can think of.

And see them written on the wall.

And this also includes all of the shoulds that we buy into.

You should be married by this age,

You should have kids,

You should have this amount of money in the bank,

You should be this successful by now,

You should be further along than you are.

All of those shoulds that we have adopted that really aren't true.

And see them written on the chalkboard.

And also one of the biggest stories that we believe is some version of the story of I'm not good enough,

I'm not smart enough,

I'm not thin enough,

I'm not brave enough,

I'm not confident enough,

I'm not thin.

And all of these are just written on the chalkboard.

And if you're having a tough time thinking about words,

Maybe they're just negative feelings,

General feelings of unworthiness,

Of feeling shame or judgment of yourself.

And maybe you see them as little marks or just pictures or spots that are on the chalkboard if that works better for you.

And just filling,

Getting all of those things inside of us and just filling this chalkboard with all of those limiting beliefs.

Just another breath,

Getting it all out.

And let's take a cleansing breath in and let it out.

I'd like you now to begin to get up from your chair and start to walk over closer to this board.

Looking right in the center,

Looking left,

Looking right,

Seeing all of these stories that have filtered some of your perception.

And I'd like you to ask yourself in this moment,

Are these true?

Do I want these to be true?

Who is the actual judge?

And if the answer is no,

I'd like you to grab the eraser that's on the shelf.

I'd like you to go ahead and walk over to the left side of the chalkboard.

And I'd like you,

One by one,

Erase each side of the chalkboard.

Just erasing all of those stories that have not been reality,

That aren't reality.

It may feel good on the inhale to imagine your hands starting at the top and your exhale imagine you erasing one row and then going over to the next.

And it may help to repeat as you do this to send out more of the energy of what I believe that you truly are.

And you can repeat this out loud if you'd like or you can repeat this silently in your head.

I am worthy.

I am whole.

I am capable.

I am empowered.

I am enough.

And maybe picking one of those as you continue to erase.

Maybe it's just you inhale the positive as you go up,

Exhale the negative as you erase all of those limiting stories that have played a part in your life.

One by one.

I am worthy.

I am whole.

I am capable.

I am empowered.

I am enough.

And continue through the end.

And once you finish I'd like you to take a step back,

Back into the center.

I'd like you to look at a clean slate.

And take a nice deep breath in and let that go.

And as you let that go notice a projector screen that's going to come down right in front of the chalkboard.

Looking on the screen are either pictures or a video playing of you in the life that is a more true story that you tell yourself.

So what happens if these stories don't hold you back?

Imagine yourself maybe doing those things that you fear doing.

Imagine pictures on this screen.

Anything that feels okay for you,

That works for you.

And see yourself creating that new story.

See yourself allowing yourself to deserve it,

To feel worthy,

To be empowered.

Maybe even brought it in your chest to send a little bit of that body language,

That guess you are all of these things.

And just play that movie,

Play those pictures of how you see this manifesting in your life.

Your doors can open up when you let go of the shoulds and all of those limiting beliefs.

And I'd like you to realize that by looking at this right now,

Understand in this moment right here,

You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

And all of it is working for you.

Let's take a few more moments.

Any last images,

People that you see,

That you connect with,

Maybe it is finally allowing yourself that relationship that you haven't been.

Allowing yourself the permission to do something that you haven't been.

Once you are done,

Let's take a deep breath in and begin to walk back to your chair in the middle of the room.

I'd like you to say thank you to this classroom for what it has shown you,

What it has helped you work through.

And then slowly start to come back into your body.

Letting go of the visualization and coming back into your breath,

Into your connection.

Knowing that all of those empowering beliefs are within you now.

And know that you did the work to internally shift all of those negative stories.

Maybe even thanking yourself for taking the space and being brave enough to do it.

And whenever you feel complete with this practice,

You can slowly begin to open your eyes and come back into your day,

Into your room.

As always,

I wish you so much love and blessings on your journey.

Namaste.

On your journey.

Reviews

So helpful to revisit this wonderful practice. I first listened to it years ago and I’d forgotten how powerful it is. Thanks so much Lou 🙏

What do you do when the negative stories are so strong and hard to let go of?

Wonderful metaphor. Very practical and cleansing. Namaste (when I return, I might want to start at the 18 minute mark)

Just what I needed this morning, thank you so so much 🙏🏼

This was an interesting journey- I struggle when people tell me I’m wrong, I struggle with really opinionated people, I struggle with people who push back in a crappy way or say something not nice or even critical. When I was at the chalkboard and turned to look at the desks in the classroom they were filled with people all yelling at me (all the stuff i listed earlier) and suddenly their words didn’t matter. It was just a cacophony of noise. I smiled, bowed to them and walked out of the room. They no longer had power over me. Namaste 🙏

Thanks so much for your lovely meditation. May the joy be with you. Nàmaste

Excellent visiualization!! It’s incredible how we label ourselves and own our limiting beliefs. This exercise is concrete and so effective for self awareness, challenging beliefs and compassion. Thank you

Extremely helpful!
I’m putting this into practice immediately.
Thank you 🙏 very much, Lou 💗💗💗💗

Oh Lou that was just incredible!! Truly what I needed today 💖🙏🏽

Until meditation came to my life 30 years ago, I told myself negative stories and repeated the thoughts about me other negative folks told me over and over. They were not true. I recently read something in a medition/running book. It said we are fundamentally perfect. We just need to make a few improvements. How true.

I wasn't in the best of places and this meditation really helped me to refocus and understand I can have a clean slate, that I okay and I am enough. Thank you.

Just what I needed to be reminded of today, thank you Lou 💖🙏🏾😊.

Awesome Meditation, I was smiling all through the last part of the visualisation, it felt great!

I start my day with Lou ! Always on point for what I need to hear ! 🙏

Lou is a Godsend. His tracks are always insightful and empowering.

Once again, you have provided a wonderful and helpful meditation. It’s intriguing how much I get stuck in a negative narrative. Now I feel able to err greatly and learn! Namaste!

great visualuzation! Helps so much to work on things we need to, evan if we do not realize how much we need it! Thank you so much! Sometimes I feel that you are living my Life! Kkkk... And giving me exactly what I need to work on... At each meditation... NAMASTE!

Amazing gift, thank you. I often forget just how powerful my mind and the stories can be. You’ve brought out a calmness and smile. Namaste.

Thank you Lou fir the opportunity to view the internal , subconscious thinking that the mind and body has believed all this time🙂

Having a moment to start the process of rewriting and connecting to the Self has been uplifting.

Thank you Lou 🙂🙏🏼🌟

Another great meditation to ue again and again. Thank you Lou. You are a great teacher! 🙏☺️