“You don’t have to feel this way. You have a choice.”
The first time I heard those words, I didn’t believe them.
I was seventeen years into a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
Seventeen years on a cocktail of medications.
Seventeen years of managing what I’d been told was a chemical imbalance—something unfixable. Something that defined me. Something I’d always carry.
I felt stuck. Numb. Like I was moving through my days underwater.
The truth is, I had internalized a set of beliefs so quietly and so completely that I never thought to question them:
You’re too much.
You’re a problem.
You do it wrong.
They didn’t sound dramatic. They sounded like the truth.
Until I learned how the brain actually works.
Here’s what I wish I’d known sooner:
Our brains aren’t hardwired. They’re shaped—by experience, repetition, and belief. And we can change that shape.
It’s called neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to rewire itself. Which means we can change not just what we think—but how we think.
Even the thoughts that feel automatic:
I can’t handle this.
I’m not good enough.
This is just how it is.
These thoughts carve grooves in the brain—pathways that get stronger with use. They feel like facts, but they’re just familiar stories. Stories that keep us stuck, small, and disconnected.
Once I understood that… everything shifted.
I started noticing those old thought patterns. And instead of accepting them, I got curious:
Where did this come from?
Is it true—or just a habit?
Is it useful?
That curiosity became a practice.
That practice became a new way of being.
Not toxic positivity.
Not pretending everything’s fine.
Just a steady return to agency—the ability to decide what story I wanted to live.
I learned that every thought is a possibility.
For change.
For relief.
For a different reality.
With the support of trusted professionals, I eventually came off medication.
Not because I was “fixed,” but because I was no longer ruled by fear. I had tools. I had language. I had hope.
Since then, I’ve devoted my work to helping others make this same internal shift.
Not as a quick fix—but as a powerful process.
Because whether you’re leading a team, navigating a transition, or just trying to get through the week…
How you think matters.
The words in your head matter.
A lot.
If you believe you’re stuck, you will be. But if you believe change is possible—even in small ways—you will open doors and look around corners, not stand behind walls of your own making.
That shift isn’t just motivational fluff.
It’s a neurological reset.
And it starts with one simple question:
What if this thought I’m having right now isn’t true?
If you feel stuck, less-than, or like you’re sleepwalking through your days…
Maybe it’s time to get curious about why you think the way you think.
Maybe it’s time to say, out loud:
I don’t have to feel this way.
I have a choice.
Believe me—your brain is listening.
If this resonates, I’d love to hear from you.
What’s one thought you’ve carried for too long that might not be true?
