When we upgrade, we are trading . . . Story for Story. We’re not trying to convince ourselves we can change the truth about ourselves by reciting endless affirmations. That hardly respects our intelligence and, furthermore, it doesn’t work. As long as we hold that something is the truth, it is unchangeable. As soon as we recognize it for what it is, however, a story, the story buffer line is open and we can help ourselves to a better one.
Regarding our Stories, the question is never “Is it true?” because it can’t be true; it’s just a Story. The question also isn’t “Is it the right Story?” because that implies there’s only one correct choice. The most helpful question is “Is this Story useful?” Given what I care about, what I want to contribute, and what matters to me, is the story I’m telling myself a useful one? Most of us constantly replay hundreds of inherited default Stories that trample our life energy and steal our peace of mind.
— Victoria Castle, The Trance of Scarcity: Stop Holding Your Breath and Start Living Your Life, p. 35-36