Borrowed Beliefs!

Have you ever noticed how, if you tell yourself something often enough, you start to believe it? The same is true when it comes from someone else.

What we hear repeatedly has a way of becoming what we think, and eventually, what we expect of ourselves.

For a long time, I felt stuck when it came to learning IT. Somewhere along the way, I had absorbed the message that I was too old, that people from my generation just weren’t cut out for it. And the more I heard it, the more I believed it. It quietly chipped away at my confidence until I stopped even trying. Then I met a teacher who changed everything. She was patient and encouraging. Her hearty laugh made working with her easy. It reminded me that fun is so important when learning. She broke things down step by step. She was generous with her time, a decent woman. But more than that, she believed in me, sometimes more than I believed in myself. And something shifted.

I started to realise I wasn’t as incapable as I thought I was. I hadn’t been “too old.” I had just been told a story for so long, and I mistook it for the truth. So what do you call that moment, when you discover you’re more capable than you were led to believe?

💫A miracle? ~ Maybe

💫A discovery? ~ Definitely

💫A transformation? ~ Absolutely

But perhaps it’s something even simpler than that. It's unlearning. We form patterns of behaviour and ways of thinking without even realising it. And that’s when it really struck me, this wasn’t just my story.

For those of you who don't know, I taught holistic therapies to adults for twenty-five years, and I saw this happen over and over again. Students would walk into the classroom carrying the weight of what they’d been told they couldn’t do, way back when they were primary school age. Sometimes by teachers and sometimes by family. You could see it in their hesitation, in the way they second-guessed themselves before they’d even begun.

And then, slowly, something would change. I would give a test. They would pass. A small win. A task completed. Sometimes full marks. A moment of “I didn’t think I could do that.” And the look on their faces, that quiet mix of surprise and pride, when they realised they could, said everything. Gosh, I so enjoyed that!

I used to stand back and watch as confidence grew where doubt had been. Some of those same students went on to start their own businesses, building something they once thought was completely out of reach. It was one of the most rewarding parts of what I did.

Every September, I would begin with the same words: If you are unwilling to learn, no one can help you. But if you are willing to learn, no one can stop you. I believed it then when I said it to them. I understand it now in a completely different way. Because learning isn’t just about skills or knowledge, it’s about rewriting the story you’ve been telling yourself, or the one other people have told you. And the truth is, education is never a waste of time.

✨You are never too old.

✨It is never too late.

✨You are never too far behind.

✨You are never as limited as you’ve been led to believe.

Sometimes, all it takes is the right support, a little patience… and a willingness to try. The dopamine hit when you achieve what you told yourself you couldn't. Wowsers, you can't beat the feeling!

I hope you found a nugget of wisdom in that, or even an 'aha' moment. Lots more stories to come!

Have a beautiful weekend.