My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
It's time for a "Do-Over." 🔄
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Reader I made it past Quitters' Day. How about you? The second Friday in January is called Quitters' Day because a quarter of us have already abandoned our New Year's resolutions. However, the good news is you are allowed to hit the reset button and get a do-over.{ Reader, I know your 'Polly Perfect' is trying to tell you otherwise, but ignore her. If you have a dream you are unleashing for yourself in 2026, you need to know that there isn't one straight path you have to follow to achieve it. In fact, according to renowned creativity author, Steven Pressfield, the more deeply you care about a pursuit, the more true it is to your being, the more resistance your internal narrator will generate. On the ride home from St. Louis after Christmas, I read Steven's book, The War of Art. I knew immediately that I wanted to share it with you. So here are a few of his words that captured my attention: The more you love your art/calling/enterprise, the more important its accomplishment is to the evolution of your soul, the more you will fear it, and the more resistance you will experience facing it.
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It uses fear of rejection to paralyze us and prevent us, if not from doing our work, then from exposing it to public evaluation.
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Never forget that Resistance is using criticism against you on a far more diabolical level.
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Resistance has its seat in the ego. The self wishes to create, to evolve. The ego likes things just the way they are.
Reader, pursuing that dream or making that change is real work. It requires effort. It requires persistence. And it requires you to accept that that path will include mistakes and imperfections. On last week's episode of The Story I'm Telling Myself Podcast, my guest Rachel Druckenmiller challenged listeners to identify and pursue what would otherwise become a boldness regret at the end of their lives. "What Dreams Are You Mutating?" is a powerful episode, and I encourage you to listen if you have already. (links below) It was so good that it spurred me to create a companion journal for the episode. It's a self-reflection guide with questions to help you name those suppressed dreams and the stories holding you back: ​TSITM journal.pdf​ (if you love it and want to receive future versions, ​you can sign up here​.) Telling yourself "I don't know how" or waiting for someone else to give you permission are all lies from your unreliable narrator. You are always ready to start, even when you don't know all the answers, because you are capable of figuring things out. Reader, whatever your dreams and goals for 2026, I believe in you. Borrow that belief and say yes to you. My goal is to continue to grow listenership and the impact of The Story I'm Telling Myself Podcast. A new episode records live every Tuesday at 11:30 New York time on YouTube, LinkedIn, or Facebook and then drops Thursdays on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Audible. I would be so honored to have you listening, sharing, and engaging. I'm also looking for opportunities to share this message with teams and organizations facing change or seeking to elevate performance. I'd love an introduction. Cheers to you, Catch Up on 'the story i'm telling myself' podcastGive us a 5-star review and share an episode with a friend: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music​ ​ |
​Rita Ernst, Positivity Influencer
My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
Reader I have the worst experience with Google Maps in Europe. It's our last day on Capri. My husband and I are headed out to explore the island and visit several tourist destinations. We bought an e-SIM data plan that's loaded onto my phone. One of the main uses is accessing Google Maps for directions. The problem is that it doesn't work as well on foot as it does in a car. I've had several instances of walking in the opposite direction I am supposed to travel without Google Maps alerting...
Reader I don't know how it happened. I'm leaving my girlfriends after a lovely meet-up for dinner. I'm thinking about my colonoscopy prep tomorrow and feeling anxious after all the grim stories I have heard from others. With the snowmageddon prediction for the weekend, I'm debating whether to go to the grocery store on my way home. I'm driving in an unfamiliar area. It's dark, and the pavement is wet. I need to turn right at the upcoming light, so I move into the far right lane. BOOM! I hear...
Reader I was struggling as 2025 came to a close. It was hard to find energy and focus. My battery was running low. 🪫 It was such a vicious cycle of guilt, as my inner critic judged me lacking for being unproductive. As I looked at my sales and revenue for the first quarter of 2026, I knew I had work to do, but I felt defeated before I even started. Then I made three vital shifts that changed everything for the better. ONE. I started working on Season 2 of The Story I'm Telling Myself Podcast....