Want a Different Life? You’re Allowed
In Proverbs 23, we’re reminded of a simple but profound truth:
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Not in a fluffy, “just think positive” way — but in a deeply practical, lived-out way.
What happens on the inside of us doesn’t stay hidden. It shows up in how we live.
What we believe shapes what we repeat.
And what we repeat becomes our normal.
And if we’re not careful, that “normal” quietly becomes a life we didn’t consciously choose.
So let’s talk about something subtle but powerful:
Why do we keep living out the same patterns — even when they aren’t making us happy?
The Bad Movie Test 🎥
Let me ask you a question.
What’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
Most people answer quickly.
Snakes on a Plane.
The Lost City.
Napoleon Dynamite.
And then here’s the follow-up question:
Did you watch it more than once?
Almost always, the answer is an emphatic no.
Why?
Because once you’ve seen a bad movie, you don’t need to confirm it twice.
You don’t think, “Maybe it’ll be better the second time.”
You walk out.
You move on.
You don’t press play again.
But here’s what’s fascinating…
Many of us are rewatching parts of our own lives over and over again.
Same thoughts.
Same reactions.
Same outcomes.
Different day. Same script.
The Movie I Knew By Heart 🍿
I’ve done this too.
I replayed the movie I called “I’m not good enough” so many times, I had it memorized.
I knew exactly what would happen next.
I’d show up…
Then find subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways to prove to myself that I wasn’t enough.
I’ve replayed the movie where I criticized my body… and then ate a cookie while feeling bad about it.
I’ve replayed the movie where I let someone live rent-free in my head for months — judging them, replaying conversations, wondering why the relationship didn’t feel good.
Same script.
Same ending.
And unlike bad movies, we don’t just rewatch these patterns once or twice.
We rewatch them for years.
Why We Stay in the Rerun
Here’s the important part:
We don’t do this because we’re broken.
We don’t do this because we like suffering.
And we don’t do it because we’re incapable of change.
Often, we do it because change feels risky.
A client once told me, “I don’t like my life… but I know this discomfort.”
She could imagine the life she wanted — more connection, more joy, more alignment.
But she was afraid.
Afraid of uncomfortable emotions.
Afraid of new actions.
Afraid of what it would require.
So her brain said,
“I don’t love this… but it’s familiar. I’ll stay here.”
And honestly? That makes sense.
Your brain is designed to keep you alive. It prefers familiar discomfort over unknown risk.
But survival thinking isn’t the same as intentional living.
When Beliefs Run the Projector 🎞️
When survival mode takes over, old beliefs start running the movie.
If you believe:
“I’m not good enough.”
“I always mess things up.”
“This is just how I am.”
Your brain will go to work proving you right.
It scans for evidence.
It highlights mistakes.
It filters out anything that contradicts the story.
Our brains love being right.
Even when being right keeps us stuck.
If you believe “I’m not good enough,” you may hesitate, over-explain, or hold back — then say, “See? I knew it.”
If you believe “I always mess things up,” you second-guess yourself and create outcomes you didn’t actually want.
If you believe “This is just how I am,” you stop imagining anything different.
This is how a life rerun is created.
Awareness vs. Decision
Here’s something powerful:
Awareness is seeing the script.
A decision is choosing whether to keep following it.
You can notice you’re in a rerun — and that’s a beautiful first step 🌿
But eventually, you have to decide:
Do I want to keep watching this movie?
Good decisions start with good questions.
What do I want?
Who do I want to be?
What script am I obeying right now?
When you ask better questions, you take the pen back in your hands.
You move from actor… to writer.
Rewriting the Script ✍️
Changing the script that said “I’m not good enough” changed my life.
From a new belief, I:
Became a life coach.
Started this podcast.
Put myself out there to date.
Renovated a 120-year-old farmhouse on 33 acres with my husband.
Took better care of my body.
Grew closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ.
None of those scenes would exist if I had stayed loyal to the old script.
And I see this in other women too.
When they rewrite their story:
They stop believing divorce makes them “less than.”
They choose connection instead of defensiveness.
They refuse to let their past dictate their future.
New script.
New movie.
One scene at a time.
Charity Turned Inward 💛
If you step back, you might notice something deeper.
All of this is about love.
Not judging yourself.
Not assuming the worst.
Not replaying the same harsh story.
But choosing understanding.
Choosing curiosity.
Choosing truth.
When love is turned inward, it looks like this:
You stop attacking yourself.
You stop assuming you’re broken.
You begin rewriting your life from a place of compassion instead of fear.
And from that place?
A different life becomes possible.
One belief.
One choice.
One scene at a time. ✨