What’s Taking Up Space in Your Story?

Let’s talk about mindset.

EW! Gross! Who wants to talk about mindset?

I get it. We talk about mindset a LOT in the business world. We tell people, “You just need to change your mindset. Just shift your mindset. It’s all about mindset!” Yeah, yeah. There’s a lot of noise out there.

But let me ask you:

What stories are you telling? 

Because the stories we tell shape how we see the world—and what we let stick to us.

So again, what stories are you telling?

Back in school, I was working at a men’s formalwear store. Great gig. Taught me how to sell, how to talk to strangers, how to match ties without looking down.

One day, this guy comes in to buy slacks. Totally normal. I get him measured up—he smells… interesting—and he starts trying stuff on.

And he’s just being a butt. Rude. Dismissive. Treated me like I was nothing. Ever been there?

I got him taken care of. He bought a couple pairs and walked out.

But on my drive home, I was stewing. Just mad. Mad that I had to be nice to someone who clearly didn’t care how he treated people. Mad that I let it affect me.

And then I started telling my roommate the story. Colorful language may have been involved. Maybe.

But halfway through retelling it, I paused.

Why am I even telling this story?

This guy’s gone. I’ll never see him again. So why am I giving him this much space in my life?

That drive home was the start of a new question I started asking myself whenever something frustrated me:

“Is this a story I’ll even tell a week from now? A month from now? A year from now?”

Most of the time?
The answer is no.

That question became a filter. A way to sort what was actually worth holding on to—and what wasn’t.
If it’s not a story I’ll still be telling in a year, maybe I don’t need to carry it all day today.

And when the answer is yes? When it is something worth remembering and learning from? Then I slow down, pay attention, and take the time to reflect on what it’s teaching me.

It’s not about ignoring what hurts or brushing off hard moments.
It’s about choosing what takes up space in your story.

So let me ask you:

What is taking space in your story??