What Story Are You Telling Yourself?
The Internal Story That’s Keeping You Stuck…
and the one That Moves You Forward
There’s a question I ask in every Mastery Map® workshop I facilitate. It’s simple. It’s direct. And it stops almost every room cold.
“What story are you telling yourself about where you are right now?”
Not your LinkedIn headline. Not your job title. Not the answer you give at networking events.
The real story. The one running quietly beneath your decisions every day.
Two Stories. One Defining Choice.
This is a concept I call Anchoring Stories™ vs. Authoring Stories™. It’s a crucial and important diagnostic point of mindset reflection, and the transformative foundation of what can either hinder — or accelerate your career.
An Anchoring Story holds you in place.
Many call this type of internal thinking as a “limiting belief.” However, I have come to discover that often times, this does not announce itself as a limitation, but instead as mature thinking built from real experiences. As the responsible conclusion of someone who has seen enough of the world to know how things work.
I’ve had a good run. I should be grateful for what I have. I’ve been in this field too long to pivot now. The window for something like that probably closed a while ago.
However, this is exactly what makes these Anchoring Stories so dangerous. Because like an anchor on a ship, they keep you still, stagnant, and safe from moving in other directions. They feel like truth. But they are not your friend, productive to your purpose and your destiny.
An Authoring Story moves you forward.
It’s built from the exact same experiences, the same history, the same setbacks, the same years invested — but interpreted through an entirely different lens.
Where an Anchoring Story sees a layoff as evidence of failure, an Authoring Story sees it as an inflection point.
An Anchoring Story sees decades at one company as a liability, an Authoring Story sees it as institutional knowledge most people will never accumulate.
Where an Anchoring Story sees a long career in one function as a constraint, an Authoring Story sees it as a concentrated expertise that becomes the foundation for the next chapter.
Both stories are built from the same facts. The difference is entirely in the lens.
| Anchoring Story | Authoring Story |
|---|---|
| “I’m too old to start over.” | “My experience is my advantage — not my limitation.” |
| “I’ve invested too much to change direction now.” | “Everything I’ve built is transferable. I just haven’t seen it that way yet.” |
| “My family needs stability. I can’t take that risk.” | “Bold and responsible aren’t opposites. My next move can be both.” |
| “A layoff at my level means something is wrong with me.” | “This is an inflection point, not a verdict.” |
| “AI is going to make my experience irrelevant.” | “Decades of judgment and context is exactly what AI can’t replace.” |
| “My best years are behind me.” | “I’m not at the end of my story. I’m at the most important chapter.” |
Now — Which Story Is Yours?
You’ve seen the framework. You recognize the patterns. Maybe one or two of those Anchoring Stories hit a little close to home.
That’s exactly the right place to be.
The Anchoring Story Audit™ will help you identify your dominant story in about 2 minutes — and show you what your Authoring reframe looks like on the other side.
It’s free. It’s yours. And it’s the first step.
Part of the Mastery Map® — Mindset · Meaning · Milestones
