ONE WORD TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE: “HISTORICALLY”
“Historically” might be the most powerful word available to us as we navigate change, uncertainty, opportunity, and hardship, and as we simply become more of ourselves. The word “historically” is the gateway to a new level, to a parallel universe where everything is possible, and where we are capable and unstoppable.
“Historically.”
Write it down a few times today. Text it to yourself. Infuse it into your inner voice. Add it to the beginning of your limiting beliefs and see what it reveals. Don’t be afraid to say something and then restate it with “historically” on the front side.
Like a dash of sea salt, add it to your mental recipes to invigorate the senses. Hold it in your hand and admire it. Put it in your pocket for safekeeping or wear it around your neck close to your chest. Somehow, make it readily available. It’s an invaluable word, and it will transform your life.
The word “historically” gives you permission to acknowledge the past but to thoughtfully detach from perceived limitations, and frees you from self imposed conclusions that things will always be that way. “Historically” is a line in the sand that prompts a new possibility, a new beginning, the evolution of your greatness.
Vocalizing the word is the shakeup. It breaks up the conclusiveness of our inner-critic which just wants to hinder us with doubtful assumptions as it entices us to play it safe, or even timidly, like a default way of living.
But f*ck that. In the words of William Ernest Henley, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
It’s you who gets to author your great hero’s journey, to captain the vessel that is your life. Remember, you get to shake up your narrative. You get to choose how the story is told. You are the driver of your mindset. You are the narrator of your life, and you get to choose to entertain a new perspective should you choose to. You get to lean into the discomfort and grow from it. You get to choose to live at the edge of things and actually choose how you experience your life. All at once, you are the author, the hero, and the narrator of your life’s journey.
Choose your words carefully.
These are the most important choices we make as adults and leaders. When most everything is truly out of our control, choose to take control of your thinking.
Historically, your inner-critic narrated your experience but today is different. Today you give a bold voice to your inner-champion.
If you are up against anything daunting lately…
If you are in the thick of things…
If the odds seem stacked out of your favor…
If you catch yourself in uncharted territory…
I’ll tell you, frankly, you are more than capable of sorting out and capitalizing on a life well-lived. Keep going. I’m pulling for you and you’ve got this.
I bet the shakeup, the shift, the next step you are seeking in your life, whatever it may actually be, it is largely available through a shift and expansion of how you are thinking about the world.
Our mindset drives us or we drive our mindset.
The greatest opportunity to become your greatest self, to live your greatest life, is in your mindset, your outlook, your perspective on yourself and the world.
If you were to add just one word to your narrative to shake up your story and shift your attention to your inner-champion, it’s the word “historically.”
(And btw, check in on Carol Dweck’s book, “Growth Mindset” if you want to dive in deep on the mental game!)
Your biggest fan,
Dave Momper