We tell ourselves powerful lies to justify staying stuck:
- “I’ve come too far to quit now.”
- “This is just who I am.”
- “It’ll get better once [insert future milestone].”
- “How can I change when this is all I know?”
- “It wasn’t meant to be.”
We white-knuckle our way through relationships that drain us, careers that suffocate us slowly, and credentials that lead nowhere—all because a younger version of ourselves made commitments we feel obligated to honor.
That younger self decided who we should be, what we should want, and where our limits were. They meant well. They did their best with what they knew.
But here’s the truth that changes everything: your younger self doesn’t deserve to control your future.
Every time you honor past decisions over present reality, you’re letting someone who no longer exists drive your life. That outdated version of you grips the wheel while your current self—wiser, battle-tested, clearer about what actually matters—sits powerless in the passenger seat, watching opportunities pass by.
I know this trap intimately.
This year has been beautifully dynamic for me—a year of invention and momentum:
- Bringing Take the Lead across eight cities
- Launching AIM: Amplify, Impact, Mastermind – an executive coaching mastermind
- Writing a new keynote and TedTalk
I love new. I’m an entrepreneur. My LLC is literally named “Shiny Penny” because I chase the next bright thing. I’ve worn this identity like a badge of honor, convincing myself that movement equals growth, that busy means alive.
It’s the only operating system I’ve known. And it’s worked—to a point.
But my courage this year isn’t about saying yes to more. It’s about saying no to the busyness that’s become my ceiling.
I’m stopping the creation to develop what’s already been created – something incredibly challenging for an entrepreneur to do. Slowing down to savor. Trusting that pausing won’t derail progress—it will deepen it.
This terrifies me. This isn’t just changing my mind—it’s dismantling an identity that I’ve been clinging to for 20+ years.
Development demands a different rhythm. Pausing. Nurturing. Intentionality. It requires confronting the fear that stillness means stagnation, that slowing down means falling behind.
Growth-oriented thinking demands we untangle old commitments and abandon identities that no longer serve us. It requires the courage to change our minds and step into something truer, even when that something feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
The question isn’t whether change is hard. It is. The question is whether you’re willing to let your past self continue making decisions for your future.
I know what I’m letting go of to make space for who I’m becoming. What about you?
What outdated commitment are you ready to release? What version of yourself are you finally willing to stop being? What could you become if you gave your wiser, present self permission to drive?
