Intro

What if the beliefs that feel most true about who you are—the "I'm not…" statements you've carried for years—are just choices you made in the past? In this raw Real Wednesday episode, Heather V Masters shares the story of how she transformed a 20-year identity as "not a runner" in just three weeks, from finishing a traumatic 2000 half-marathon alone and wrapped in foil to discovering joy in a 2011 charity 10k. Through visceral storytelling and uncomfortable vulnerability, she reveals how beliefs are choices we can always remake—and why she's still catching those old permission-seeking voices this very morning.

What's Inside:

• The desolate 2000 half-marathon finish: alone, injured, wrapped in foil like a baked potato, vowing never to run again
• The 2011 invitation that changed everything: a small charity supporting child-trafficking survivors
• The terrifying Richmond Park moment: realizing she could come last in a tiny race where everyone would notice
• How parental doubt ("Aren't you too old?") planted seeds of limiting beliefs
• The visualization that created certainty: seeing herself cross the finish line with people behind her
• Three weeks of training with a dog who eventually ran home in protest
• The friend's voice cutting through the noise at the finish line: healing the 2000 wound
• Race day revelation: coming third-last was absolutely perfect
• This morning's business planning moment: catching dad's voice and choosing again
• The NLP anchoring technique: using memorable moments to model future transformation

Three Lessons:

1. A Belief Is Just a Choice You Made—And You Can Choose Again

Reality: That "truth" about yourself might just be a decision you made in a moment of pain twenty years ago. When you recognize it as a choice, not a fact, you reclaim your power to choose differently.

2. Big Identity Shifts Don't Require Years—They Require a Moment of Certainty

Reality: Transformation doesn't need months of therapy. It needs a single moment of 110% commitment where you decide with absolute certainty who you're becoming. Then the actions follow naturally.

3. Old Stories Have Smaller Beliefs Hanging Off Them—Let Them Go Together

Reality: "I'm not a runner" came with "I'm too old," "I'm not a completer," and "I'll embarrass myself." Outgrowing the main story means consciously releasing all the supporting stories too. They don't get to come along for the ride.

The Uncomfortable Truth

The stories we tell ourselves about who we are—I'm not creative, I'm terrible with money, I'm just not that kind of person—aren't truths carved in stone. They're choices we made, often years ago, often in moments of pain or failure. And we can choose again. Right now. Today.

This Week's Story Rewrite Exercise

RIGHT NOW: Pause and write down three "I can't" statements. The ones you don't say out loud. The ones that feel embarrassing to admit. Those are the ones holding the most power.

THEN GO DEEPER: Pick the one holding you back most and ask:

• When did I first choose to believe this?
• What was happening when I made this choice?
• Does it still serve me today?
• If I could choose again, what would I choose instead?

Then visualize yourself living from that new belief with certainty—and take one small action this week that proves the new story is true.

Memorable Moments That Will Stick:

• "Wrapped in foil like a baked potato, utterly desolate"
• "I could come last. Everyone will know."
• "A blood oath with myself: I would never run again"
• "Even my dog ran home by herself—just had enough"
• "I could hear her voice cutting through all the other noise—'Come on, Heather!'"
• "For the first time in a race, I wasn't alone at the finish line"
• "My finger was literally hovering over the 'send' button, and there it was: 'Who are you to think you can do this at your age?'"
• "I came third last. Which was absolutely perfect."
• "A belief is just a choice you made in the past—and you can always choose again"
• "The ones you don't say out loud. The ones that feel embarrassing to admit."

Chapters:

• 00:10 - Setting the Scene
• 03:27 - Confronting the Past: The Decision to Run Again
• 05:17 - The Choice to Run
• 09:16 - Choosing New Beliefs: Lessons from the Race
• 13:10 - Choosing to Believe Differently

Perfect For:

• Anyone carrying an "I'm not…" identity that limits them
• People who made vows in moments of pain and forgot they were choices
• Those who think big changes require years of therapy or work
• Entrepreneurs still hearing parental voices questioning their capability
• Runners and non-runners alike navigating identity shifts
• Anyone over 40 questioning if they're "too old" for transformation
• NLP practitioners and coaches looking for anchoring examples
• People supporting causes that matter more than their fears
• Anyone ready to outgrow an old story and choose again
• Those who need permission to stop waiting for permission

The Permission You've Been Waiting For:

That belief that feels like absolute truth about who you are? It's just a choice you made, probably years ago, probably in pain. You don't need anyone's permission to choose again—not from your parents, not from your partner, not from anyone. But if you're looking for it anyway, here it is: Choose again. Today. Right now.

Connect & Share:

• 📱 Share your old story you're ready to rewrite with us @ChoosingHappyPodcast
• 🏷️ Tag someone who needs permission to choose again
• ⭐ Leave a review with the belief you're outgrowing—it helps others find this permission too
• 🌐 Visit www.choosinghappy.space for more Real Wednesday stories
• 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a moment of vulnerable, transformational storytelling

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Tired of the same patterns keeping you stuck?

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