I am not defined by others’ opinions of me.

“Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” 

~Les Brown

The secret to loving yourself and loving your life starts with letting go of others’ expectations of you.

Too often, I work with people who repeat back to me the stories they’ve been told about who they are.

Many of these stories start in childhood, when they were told they were:

• too loud
• too much
• too little
• too different
• too messy
• too slow

And some of these stories are family or cultural stories that go back even further to before they were born, like:

• our family is cursed
• our family is broken
• our family isn’t smart
• our family drinks too much
• our family is lazy

These early stories prime us to prioritize others’ opinions of us. Over the course of our life, we can lose sight of ourselves after being told so many negative things by parents, partners, supervisors at work, and more. 

🌈 The truth is, these stories might actually be myths and you can tell yourself different stories. This is the power of mindset.

🌈 And you can go even further by setting boundaries with or letting go of toxic relationships and choose supportive people in your life. Look for people who believe in you, encourage you, and want the best for you. 

If this sounds familiar, use this week’s affirmation and journal prompts to help you learn to let them go!

Weekly affirmation:

I am not defined by others’ opinions of me.

Journal Prompts for the Week:

1. Are there any people in your life who bring you down or drain your energy? 
   • How can you create boundaries with those people or limit your interactions with them?
2. Think of a time when you received support or encouragement from someone.
   • How did it make you feel?
   • How did it impact your mindset or actions?

If you’re feeling like you’d benefit from more support, here’s how I can help:

Take my free Drinking Personality Quiz to learn why you drink and what to do about it. 

Join the Mindful Moderation Course to forever change your mindset about drinking and more. 

Work with a therapist or coach on my team to create a personalized plan for your own growth.

Here for you!

Dr. Hannah

P.S.: Check out the Mindful Moderation Instagram Story Highlights for an inspirational version of today's affirmation and more motivation for your week.