Watch for Closing Doors…and Manatees

I write books about mindset and the stories we tell ourselves. One of the opening pages in Change Your Thinking, Ignite Your Life, simply asks, “What are you telling yourself about yourself?”. Even though I know the power of what we tell ourselves, I’m still learning how often I limit myself without realizing it. Sometimes it takes a moment—or a stranger—to reveal the work I still have to do.

While visiting my aunt and uncle in Florida, we went searching for manatees. We caught a brief glimpse of one, but it fell short of what we had hoped for. As we lingered by the harbor, we met a man who clearly understood these waters and the rhythms of the animals better than we did. When he suggested I return the following month, my immediate response was, “I can’t do that.”

He smiled and said, almost playfully, “Not with that mindset.”

The comment stopped me. Ken, the kayak guide, wasn’t criticizing—he was reflecting my own limiting belief back to me. Instead of feeling defensive, I felt grateful. It was a reminder that growth often begins the moment we notice the quiet ways we close doors on ourselves.