How a Banjo, a Broken Down Van, and an Old House Changed My Pattern of Thinking

On revealing the subconscious narratives that limit what’s possible.

Our journeys are shaped by the stories we tell about our lives. Limited and self-defeating narratives yield limited and self-defeating results. Expansive and self-affirming narratives yield expansive and self-affirming results.

This isn’t to judge or to declare one manner of existence better than another. There can be a certain sense of satisfaction and even freedom through embracing a cynical posture toward the world and its problems. Rather, the point I’m trying to make here is that our bent toward the world is shaped by those micro-stories and narratives that we maintain— often subconsciously.

Here, I want to share three examples of how my subconscious narratives were brought to conscious awareness and then flipped entirely. In each story, there is a very specific manner in which it changed how I view and approach my life.

Clawhammer Banjo and the Boiler Room

The first house my wife and I lived in was a tiny “in-law” suite rental at the back of a double-lot. It was a great home on a quiet street, with lovely neighbors, and a quaint backyard — but it was very small. It…