On Tuesday, I launched a new cohort program designed to help agency founders who are stuck. Founders who know the next right thing to do to grow their business, but just don’t do it.

As I was preparing for the launch, part of my brain wondered if anyone would sign-up. For part of the day, I felt like I was running through mud because my brain was trying to protect me from disappointment by telling me stories about the lack of interest!

Every story we tell about the future is a lie.

This was on my mind as I was listening to Rachel Rodger’s podcast this last week when she said (emphasis added),

Whatever you believe about the future is a lie. We actually don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. So, we can say, I’m going to end the year with X, Y, Z done or with a certain amount of money in the bank, or whatever thing you want to accomplish. You’re lying because you actually don’t know what’s going to happen.

So if you’re going to lie to yourself, tell yourself good lies rather than bad lies. Tell yourself lies that serve you rather than lies that make you feel like you can’t make it happen. So tell yourself something like, “I’m going to hit my goals, and I’m so excited about how we’re going to make this happen.” Instead of telling yourself it’s never going to work, it’s going to fail; I’m going to struggle; I’m going to file for bankruptcy.

I’d rather not tell any stories about the future. I want to hold the future lightly and take things as they come.

But my brain, being what it is, wants to have a story sometimes. When that happens, I’m trying to tell a good story—a story of triumph instead of a story of travail and disaster.

How would it feel to live into better stories about your future?

P.S. That cohort program I mentioned, I’m offering it at no cost to the first six people who sign-up. So if you have something important you want to move forward on, but you’ve felt stuck. Take a look today.