We all walk around with a mental filing cabinet.
From the time we are toddlers, society, our families, and the world at large start handing us folders. They label them for us:
• “How to be a ‘good’ person.”
• “What success is supposed to look like.”
• “The things we don’t talk about at the dinner table.”
We tuck these files away, thinking they are our own. We navigate our lives based on the instructions inside them. But eventually, the drawer gets stuck. The “juicy” part of life—the truth, the passion, the raw reality—gets buried under the weight of everyone else’s expectations.
The Weight of the “Should” Folder
Conditioning is a quiet architect. It builds a life for you that you might not even want. You find yourself making decisions not because they set your soul on fire, but because the “file” in your head says you should.
I’ve spent a lot of time recently looking through my own cabinet. I’ve been pulling out those old, yellowed folders and asking: “Who gave this to me, and why am I still carrying it?”
Emptying the Cabinet
True freedom isn’t just about getting organized; it’s about discerning. It’s about taking those files labeled “Shame” or “Silence” and realized they don’t belong in your cabinet anymore.
In my upcoming work, I’m peeling back these layers. I’m sharing the raw, unedited versions of what happens when you stop following the script. Because when you stop living by the “standard operating procedure,” life finally starts getting interesting. It gets messy, yes—but it also gets real.
It’s time to shred the conditioning. What’s one “file” you’re ready to throw away?