The Stories You Tell Yourself Are Holding You Back

What’s the difference between:

👉🏼 Giving a speech to your 13-month-old baby vs. delivering one on a TEDx stage?👉🏼 Playing tennis at your local park vs. playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon?

Same speech. Same tennis opponent.

The difference?

💡The story you tell yourself about the stakes.

If that story gets big enough, scary enough, and overwhelming enough—it can paralyze you.

And it happens in every area of life.

How the Mind Creates Excuses (And Holds You Back)

Just this morning, I told myself I’d go for a twenty-mile bike ride.

Then, the doubts crept in…

🚨What if it rains?
🚨What if I get a puncture?
🚨Is this too much time away from work?
🚨Wouldn’t it be nicer to just stay in bed with a cup of tea?

And guess what?

I stayed in bed with a cup of tea. ☕

The point of this isn’t my laziness—it’s YOU and your business.

The Fear That’s Keeping You from Putting Yourself Out There

The same bullshit stories are stopping you from posting online, growing your brand, and making more money.

👉🏼 “What if nobody likes it?”
👉🏼 “What if I offend someone?”
👉🏼 “What if people unsubscribe from my email list?”
👉🏼 “What if I get loads of negative comments?”

So what?

🚨 This is how people end up playing small.
🚨 This is why most marketing is boring, weak, and forgettable.

Because instead of saying something real, people post flaccid, corporate nonsense about:

❌ “Innovative solutions.”
❌ “First-class service.”
❌ “A passion for excellence.”

Blah, blah, blah.

That’s not marketing. That’s background noise.

Fling the Fear Monkey Off Your Back & Say Something That Matters

If you talked to your friends the way most businesses talk to their audience, they’d laugh in your face.

👉🏼 You wouldn’t say "As an individual passionate about high-quality service..." to your mate at the pub.
👉🏼 You wouldn’t describe yourself as "a results-driven, detail-oriented professional" at a family BBQ.

So why the hell would you talk like that online?

Instead, write like a human.

🚀 Put some charm and personality into your content.
🚀 Say something real.
🚀 Entertain. Engage. Be unforgettable.

Because at the end of the day…

❌ Some people won’t read it.
❌ Some people will unsubscribe.
❌ Some people will leave shitty comments.

Who cares?

If you’re playing to win, you need copy that cuts through the noise.

And you’re never gonna do that on the back of fear.

So… are you going to keep playing small, or are you going to actually make an impact?

Your move.

Until next time,
Matt "No Bland Bullshit" Haycox

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