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“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
Do you know what the biggest barrier is that prevents you from achieving your dreams?
It’s NOT a lack of money. It’s NOT a lack of time. It’s not even a lack of skills.
No… The real obstacle is right there, in YOUR head. And today, we’re going to dismantle it together.
What You’ll Discover in This Article
In this article, you’ll discover how your beliefs have been programmed since childhood, why you sabotage yourself without even realizing it, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, the exact technique to reprogram your brain.
If you want to finally become the captain of your life, stay with me. This is going to be intense!
The Elephant Story: The Metaphor That Explains Everything
Let me tell you a story that will explain everything.
In India, when a baby elephant is born, it’s tied to a small stick planted in the ground. The baby elephant pulls, pulls, pulls with all its strength… but it’s impossible to break free. So it eventually gives up.
Now, here’s the crazy thing: when this elephant becomes an adult, it weighs several tons. It could tear out that stick with a simple shake. But it will NEVER do it. Why? Because it learned that it can’t.
And guess what? YOU are this elephant. We are ALL this elephant.
You have dreams, projects, desires… but there’s this little voice in your head that tells you: “No, you can’t.” And you believe it. So you don’t even try. Exactly like the elephant.
But where does this voice come from? How did it settle in your head? That’s what we’re going to see now.
Your Source Code: The Program Metaphor
Imagine that you are an ultra-powerful computer. At your birth, you arrive with your unique source code. It’s YOUR original essence: your character, your natural abilities, your challenges, what attracts you, what repels you. You are a COMPLETE being.
But very quickly, programs start being installed on your system. This is what Don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements, calls domestication.
The Hypnotized Brain (0-7 years)
By the way, do you know why it was so easy to program you as a child? Between 0 and 7 years old, your brain operates primarily in theta waves – the same state as under hypnosis! You were literally in a state of maximum suggestibility. Someone tells you “this is a table,” you register it directly, without questioning.
Installing the Programs
These programs come from everywhere:
- Dad tells you: “Boys don’t cry” → Program INSTALLED
- Mom tells you: “Be good so people will love you” → Program INSTALLED
- Society tells you: “Success = having money” → Program INSTALLED
- A painful experience → Protection program INSTALLED
And here’s the REAL problem: when you’re not aware of these programs, they make you react on autopilot. An event happens and BOOM, your program tells you how to react… not based on the PRESENT situation, but based on your PAST experience.
For example: you want to launch your project, but your program tells you “You? Succeed? Stop dreaming.” And you give up before even trying.
An Important Nuance
Now, listen carefully, because this is CRUCIAL: this conditioning is NOT a problem in itself. It’s even necessary.
As a child, you NEEDED this process to quickly understand how the world around you works and to integrate into society. You were entirely dependent on your parents, so you adapted to meet their expectations. It’s a normal process necessary for your survival.
The REAL problem is when, once an adult, you continue to be directed by programs that served you as a child but today prevent you from pursuing your dreams.
Remember this phrase: It’s never your past that defines you, but the actions you take in the present, here and now.
But here’s the GOOD news: you are NOT these programs. You are the SOURCE CODE. And like any program… it’s possible to uninstall them.
Why Is It So Hard to Change?
Now you might be wondering: “But why is it so DIFFICULT to question my beliefs?”
Because your beliefs define your perception of reality and of yourself. They act as a reassuring structure that gives you the illusion of understanding and controlling your life.
Questioning your beliefs is like removing the foundations of your house. It’s terrifying! Even if these foundations are rotten.
The Red and Blue Exercise
Come on, let’s do an exercise RIGHT NOW. Look around you and look for all the RED objects. Go ahead, really do it. Look around you.
…
Now, close your eyes…
…
…and tell me 3 BLUE objects.
Difficult, right? Because when you look for red, you find red. And you ignore the rest.
It’s EXACTLY the same with your beliefs. Where your attention focuses, your energy follows. If you believe that “you’re not made to succeed,” unconsciously, you’ll focus on ALL the events that validate this belief. And you’ll ignore all the evidence to the contrary.
You create your own reality based on what you’re looking for.
The Inner Judge: Your Worst Enemy
And among all these programs, there’s one particularly vicious: your inner judge.
Do you remember the reward-punishment system? “You’re a good child” versus “You’re a bad child”? Our entire society works like this: prison if you’re bad, salary if you’re good.
The crazy thing is that eventually, you don’t even need others to punish you. You’ve developed your own inner judge. That little voice that constantly criticizes you.
A Powerful Example
Listen to this ULTRA powerful example from The Four Agreements:
A mom comes home tired from work, she has a terrible migraine. Her little girl is full of life. She sings, she dances, she’s happy. But mom has a headache. And at one point, she snaps and yells: “SHUT UP! YOU HAVE A HORRIBLE VOICE!”
Do you feel the violence of this sentence? This little girl will NEVER sing again. Her inner judge will repeat to her all her life: “Don’t sing, you have a horrible voice.”
A program has just been installed. And the one who installed it is the person who loves her most in the world… her mother.
How many of these toxic programs are lurking in YOUR head? How many “you can’t,” “you’re not enough,” “it’s not for you”?
Not All Programs Are Limiting
But careful! Not all programs are limiting. Some beliefs support you in your evolution, like: “I’m capable of learning anything as long as I give myself the means.”
The problem is that we’ve never consciously sorted them out. And as long as you take these programs for truths, THEY direct your life, condition your choices, what you allow yourself.
Mental Cacophony
Often you have so many contradictory programs that it’s CHAOS in there.
Imagine this scene:
Voice 1: “Okay, tomorrow I’m starting to exercise!”
Voice 2: “Yeah, tomorrow… Today you’re too tired.”
Voice 3: “If you start like this, you’ll quit like usual.”
Voice 4: “Anyway, you’ve never been athletic.”
Result? You’re exhausted before you even start. This mental cacophony paralyzes you and prevents you from taking action.
But wait! I told you there was good news, and it’s coming NOW…
You Are the Source Code
BUT! Here’s the BEST news of your life:
At any moment you can remember that you are NOT these programs. You are the SOURCE CODE.
You are FREE. You’re no longer a dependent child. You’re an adult who can think for yourself. You no longer need to please dad, mom, or your teacher.
During your childhood, you had no choice. It was a matter of survival to accept these programs. But today? Today, you have the POWER to uninstall programs that no longer serve you and install new ones.
It’s time to rewrite your personal book of laws. And guess what? You have this power. NOW.
The Solution: The Jungle Metaphor
So, how do you concretely reprogram your brain? Let me explain with a POWERFUL image.
Imagine that at your birth, your brain is like a dense jungle. Moving through this jungle is difficult.
When you have a thought for the first time, it’s like opening a new path in this jungle. The first time, it’s hard. You have to cut branches, push aside vines.
But the more you have this thought, the easier it becomes to go through this path. And the easier it becomes to go through this path, the more you have this thought.
Little by little, this path becomes a road, then a neural highway. And your brain LOVES highways! For energy efficiency, it always prefers to take the easiest path.
Changing your belief system is like carving a NEW path in the jungle. That’s why it’s difficult at first! Your brain prefers to take the highway it already knows.
Important: This Is NOT Emotional Denial
Careful, we’re NOT talking about emotional denial here! It’s NOT repeating “I’m happy” while you’re crying. That’s denial, and it doesn’t work.
It’s CRUCIAL to embrace your emotions. They come to transmit a message that needs to be heard. If you’re sad, be sad. If you’re angry, ask yourself:
- Why am I angry?
- What need isn’t being met?
- What story am I telling myself that fuels this anger?
- Is there a past wound that’s been triggered and is asking me to consciously give it love?
Emotions are indicators, not enemies.
The reprogramming work doesn’t seek to put blinders on what in your life needs attention. It’s about re-educating your brain to:
- ALSO focus on the positive, on what’s going well in your life – a good meal, a hot shower, a smile, a victory
- Allow yourself to take action where old programs kept you in a prison that only exists in your head
Do you see the difference? Embrace AND transform. Feel AND move forward. That’s real reprogramming.
The Concrete Reprogramming Method
Now, let’s see THE concrete technique in 3 steps:
STEP 1: STEP BACK
Instead of identifying with your thoughts, imagine they are someone else’s thoughts. Become the observer. The witness.
STEP 2: IDENTIFY LIMITING BELIEFS
Spot the thoughts that don’t serve you well. Those that prevent you from moving forward. The old neural highways you want to abandon.
STEP 3: THE REPROGRAMMING PROCESS
Here’s a concrete example you can do right now:
1/ I observe my thought
“I’ll never succeed.” → This is the old highway.
2/ I forgive myself
For having this limiting thought. With love, without judgment.
3/ I consciously reframe
“I am capable of succeeding at anything. I do my best and I don’t need to be perfect. Every day, I make progress. I am proud of myself and I trust in my abilities.” → This is my new path.
4/ I thank myself
For this gift I’m giving myself.
5/ I love myself
Simply.
The Secret: Repetition
Use YOUR words. Something that truly resonates with you. The important thing is that it resonates within you.
And here’s the SECRET: repeat this new thought AGAIN and AGAIN. Every time the old highway wants to take control again, consciously choose your new path. Over time, this new path will become your new autopilot.
Your Reprogramming Tool: MyAffirmPlay
Now, you might be thinking: “Okay, but how do I regularly repeat my new beliefs without forgetting?”
That’s exactly what MyAffirmPlay was created for.
Here’s how it works: you write your personalized affirmations, choose a voice or record your own, add music that speaks to you, and you can listen to them EVERYWHERE – in your car, while exercising, while cooking, before sleeping.
Remember? Your new path in the jungle needs to be traveled again and again to become a highway. MyAffirmPlay makes this ultra simple and enjoyable. You literally infuse your subconscious with your new beliefs.
Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset
By doing this work, you shift from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset.
Fixed Mindset? These are people who believe so strongly in their limiting beliefs that they think they can never change. It’s fatalistic: “That’s how it is, that’s how I am, I can’t do anything about it.”
Growth Mindset? It’s understanding that no matter your current situation, there’s ALWAYS a path to your goals. You’re not fixed, you’re constantly evolving.
The Ultimate Hack
And here’s an ULTRA powerful HACK you can use right now:
Imagine you’re in a movie theater and you’re watching your life unfold on the screen. What do you want the main character – YOU – to do?
When you distance yourself from the stories you tell yourself and start seeing your life as an experience with infinite possibilities, you begin to live beyond the domestication process you’ve undergone throughout your life.
The Virtuous Circle
You thus enter the virtuous circle:
New beliefs → New thoughts → New actions → New experiences → New beliefs (even stronger)
And the cycle repeats, elevating you higher and higher.
Conclusion: Become the Captain of Your Life
So, let’s recap this incredible journey:
You arrived in this world with your unique source code. But over time, programs were installed – some to protect you, others out of necessity for your survival. These programs created neural highways in your brain that operate on autopilot.
These programs served you as a child. They allowed you to survive, adapt, understand the world. But today, some of these programs no longer serve you. Worse, they prevent you from moving forward.
And today, you understand that you are NOT these programs. You are the source code. You have the power to carve new paths, create new highways, reprogram your brain.
Words are POWERFUL instruments. They shape your inner AND outer reality. By changing your beliefs, you literally change your life.
By eliminating fears from your conditioning, you remove the barriers that YOU installed in your mind. And you open yourself to true freedom.
You stop being the victim of your story to become the CAPTAIN of your life again.
And I say to you, fair winds, captain! 
Take Action Now
Now, I have a question for you: what is THE program you want to uninstall first? What is the highway you want to turn away from?
Take a few minutes to think about it. Simply naming it is already a first step toward your liberation.
To Go Further
Recommended reading: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz – An absolute gem that changed my life, I’ve already read it 3 times.
Key Takeaways
You are not your programs You are the source code You are the captain of your life
Thank you so much for your curiosity and for having the courage to want to change.
Ciao captain!
Article inspired by the video “The Limiting Beliefs System” | MyAffirmPlay