Mindful Life Changes: Weekly Affirmations For Midlife

65. Stop Protecting Your Ego & Making Excuses: Affirmation for Positive Thinking In Midlife

• Valerie Mekki • Episode 65

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Are excuses taking over your life and mindset? We dive into the concept of the ego and how it often uses excuses to protect us from stepping out of our comfort zones. Host Valerie Mekki explores why trying something new at midlife can be daunting and how self-doubt can hold us back from achieving true fulfillment. By understanding how the ego operates, you can learn to recognize and overcome the mental barriers that keep you from pursuing your passions.


We flip the script on common excuses with empowering affirmations designed to spark curiosity and potential from within. Tune in to discover how to transform your mindset, embrace new opportunities, and reignite your sense of purpose.


Formerly known as the "Mindful Career Change Podcast," I decided to broaden our conversation to cover all life transitions, not just our careers.

Follow the show @mindfullifechanges and DM a question or comment about the life transitions you're going through too. I might answer your question in one of the episodes to help you and other midlifers navigate this everchanging and beautiful season of life.

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Connect with me on LinkedIn @valeriemekki

Speaker 1:

Does it seem like the older we get, the harder it is to try something new. We tend to take fewer risks because we have more on the line, or prefer our familiarity of our comfort zones, which I like to call our danger zones. I get it. We've worked too hard to rock the boat. Why not just choose to coast? Because I know the feeling of being stuck. You think you're moving, maybe at a slow pace, but in reality you are stagnant or, even worse, possibly sinking. Nothing excites you anymore, you're not feeling challenged and perhaps you're in that midlife funk. It might be time to try a new workout routine, finally start that hobby or passion project, or even change careers. But there's one thing holding you back Excuses. You talk yourself out of it before you even begin with a long list of excuses. Well, in today's episode, we are going to flip the script on excuses and uncover how our ego uses them to keep us from reaching our full potential.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Mindful Life Changes podcast, where we dive deep into the challenges and transformations shaping our lives, from shifts in our roles at home and work to the transitions we navigate physically and mentally as we gracefully age. I'm your host, valerie Mechie, a career change guide and mindfulness enthusiast. Whether you're becoming an empty nester and thinking of starting something for yourself, contemplating a career change or adopting a new workout routine, initiating change in midlife can be scary and daunting. This fear can be so overwhelming that you might talk yourself out of pursuing it. Instead of believing your potential in transforming the next phase of your life, we often come up with excuses such as I'm too old, I don't have enough time, I can't afford it, I can't deal with failure at this age, I don't have the energy, it's too complicated. Do any of these excuses sound familiar? These excuses often stem from fear, self-doubt and protecting you and your ego. But wait, what is the ego?

Speaker 1:

The ego is known as the part of your mind that creates and maintains your sense of self. It governs your self-image, self-importance and how you are perceived by others. The ego can influence your thoughts and actions, often driving you to seek approval, avoid criticism and protect you from feeling vulnerability or failure. Imagine you have a voice in your head that's always thinking about how you are perceived, only concerned with what you are good at and what other people think of you. These excuses, you tell yourself, are actually your ego talking, protecting you from failure or making you scared to try new things because you don't want to look like you're messing up or a failure. As the saying goes, you are your own worst enemy, meaning you are the one standing in your way of your happiness, fulfillment and growth. Actually, we can point to our ego as the main culprit.

Speaker 1:

I don't think we can ever get rid of our ego entirely, although there are some spiritual practices that aim to do so. But at this point in midlife, our egos have often become the main character in our lives, dictating what we can and can't do. So it's time to diminish that main character energy from our egos and let our curiosity and authenticity shine again. There was a time when the ego didn't rule our minds, when we were children. When we were younger, we didn't care what people thought and we followed our curiosity and said whatever we wanted to say. And we followed our curiosity and said whatever we wanted to say. Well, let's let our mind turn back the hands of time, like when we were little no-transcript. Let's move forward to the path of doing things that light us up inside, ignite our joy, passions and purpose. So, with that being said, let's flip the script on the excuses we tell ourselves with positive affirmations that declare our potential and worthiness.

Speaker 1:

We'll start the affirmation practice by priming your mind and body so you'll be open to this affirmation. Take a deep cleansing breath in through the nose and let all the air out through your mouth, releasing any energy that doesn't serve you in your mind and body. Take one more cleansing breath in and out. Today I will be reciting different affirmations. I will repeat each one twice and then give you a moment to repeat it out loud to yourself, reciting the affirmation out loud, so you can make that connection. So let's begin.

Speaker 1:

I am the perfect age to start new ventures. I am the perfect age to start new ventures. It's okay to make time for what matters most to me. It's okay to make time for what matters most to me. I am worthy to invest in myself. I am worthy to invest in myself. I have the energy to pursue my passions and goals. I have the energy to pursue my passions and goals. This affirmation practice is yours to recite for at least 21 days, once a day. It's most effective before you go to bed at night or when you wake up in the morning, before you start your day.

Speaker 1:

To deepen your affirmation practice, consider making your affirmations sticky. Write one of the affirmations that's resonated with you on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror as a reminder that you are worthy of starting something new and you don't have to make any more excuses or care about what other people think You're going to do what makes you happy and lights you up inside. Or take one of the affirmations and turn it into a short mantra like I, have the energy to pursue my passions and repeat it out loud to yourself when you're taking a walk, doing yoga or working out to help you stay focused and motivated while making that mind-body connection. If you have excuses based on timing, telling yourself that it's too late to start something new, check out the previous episode episode number 64, where we demystified the construct of time and declaring the perfect timing of starting something new in your life is now. Please make sure to subscribe and bookmark this episode so you'll have it handy whenever you need a quick guide of this affirmation.

Speaker 1:

If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a family member or a friend who may also be searching for empowering affirmation practice to start something new in their life, or show your appreciation by giving us a rating of this podcast, wherever you're listening. Your support will help other midlifers discover this content so it can grow blossom. Thank you for sharing this time and space with me. Every moment you are dedicated to being mindful is a step towards more fulfilled and vibrant life. Keep embracing your midlife journey with an open heart and remember you are not alone in this. I look forward to our next mindful gathering. I'll talk to you soon.