From time to time, all of us glance in the rearview mirror of our past.

Whatever the reason we find ourselves looking into the past, it’s usually prompted by a desire to improve the quality of our life in the present.

If that is true for you, there is no quicker or more guaranteed way to do so than by dumping outdated stories.

What Are Outdated Stories?

An outdated story is based on a set of limiting beliefs, which were formulated in our past. They may have once benefited us but at this stage of our life, they no longer serve our well-being today.

To better understand this, let’s go back to our childhood.

There was a point when the world was a blank canvas on which our imagination would paint anything our heart desired.

We believed in fairytales, and, in many instances, we made up our own. In these stories, we could be, do, and imagine anything.

As we grew older, we were forced to give up the stories that made us happy in lieu of accepting stories about how the so-called real world worked.

What we didn’t understand at the time is how the limiting beliefs that populated these stories would come to affect how we see ourselves.

Now that we are over 60, what are we to do about these outdated stories?

Honoring Your Past

Every experience in your life was unconsciously influenced by the stories you accepted as true about yourself and the world.

Does that mean these stories remain true for you today?

Whether they are or not, the first thing to do when dumping outdated stories is to honor them. For in doing so you are honoring your journey in life.

This is about honoring your past, not holding onto it.

In my experience, the way you can honor your past without allowing it to define you today is surrendering limiting beliefs and outdated stories you once defined yourself through.

Here are three examples:

1. Perhaps you once believed you needed to forego your personal desires in order to be of service to others.
2. You may have believed it was necessary to sacrifice fun and your health to get ahead in life.
3. To feel validated and worthy, you may have felt the need to compete against other women or harshly judge other people.

I am not suggesting any of this is bad or didn’t help you survive a turbulent period of your life. I am saying, however, who you once needed to be to feel safe, worthy, and valued is not who you are today.

6 Steps to Surrendering Outdated Stories

Today, you are wiser than ever before. You also know giving away your power to limiting beliefs and outdated stories does not serve your well-being after 60.

Ok, now what?

Now, you begin to honor your past by dumping limiting beliefs and outdated stories.

Here are six essential and simple steps to get you started.

Schedule a Quiet Moment in Your Day and Journal Your Five Most Heartfelt Desires for Your Life After 60

These desires could be loving more of yourself, taking a dream vacation, exercising more, improving an existing romantic partnership, attracting a new beloved, starting a hobby, or even launching a new business.

Identify Your Inner Obstacles to These Desires

This step is about going inward and identifying what limiting beliefs and outdated stories show up that tell you why you can’t be, do, and have your desires met after 60.

Appreciate the Lessons and Gifts of Your Past

Journal the lessons and gifts associated with outdated stories. Write out why you appreciate them, even if they are linked to limiting beliefs you once defined yourself through. This is where you begin to rewrite the narrative of outdated stories.

Get Present with Your Life as It Is Today

There is no quicker or better way to get present than by appreciating your life as it is today. Granted, there may be things you want to improve but you cannot manifest new desires by complaining about what is not working.

Imagine a New You Through Daydreaming

Daydreaming is not a waste of time. Use your childhood imagination to feel into new beliefs and stories by visualizing yourself experiencing the new you.

Surrender Your Desired Outcome and Embrace the New You

This does not mean you sit quietly and do not participate in life. Nor does it mean there’s no physical effort applied to achieve a desired result. It means you don’t worry about how things are going to turn out. Instead, you allow yourself to receive the benefits of your new beliefs and stories.

Celebrate the Gift of Your Life

When you are aware of what is getting in the way of your desires coming true, you can more easily remove the obstacles on your path.

This is the art of surrendering outdated stories and the beliefs associated with them.

What do you do once these stories and beliefs are let go?

Celebrate the gift of your life without limits.

Please join me in the video above where I will share additional insights on each of these six steps and what you can do to apply them in your life right now.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What limiting beliefs and outdated stories are holding you back at this time of your life? Have you tried creating a new story for yourself? What would this new story look like?