August 2026 Intention: Catch the Story

My intention for July was to work towards one goal each day. I started strong, but doing something every day was harder than I thought it would be. After missing a few days, my inner narrative shifted to "This is too much" and "I'm falling behind." My frustration with not getting more done became an obstacle itself, and I found myself thinking, "I've already missed so many days, so I might as well focus on something else." In retrospect, I wish I had aimed for five days a week instead of every day. The narrative around missing a goal did more to derail me than the missed days themselves.

I'm curious about how my inner narrative can help or impede my progress. Last August I focused on questioning my assumptions. This year I am going to examine the stories I create before, during, or after I work on something.

I manage a number of health issues by keeping my blood sugar relatively constant through gluten-, dairy-, and legume-free food four times a day. While it helps my brain and body, it makes it hard to travel and schedule longer activities. I've noticed that my anxiety increases in advance of schedule disruptions. When I pause to reflect on what is happening, I realize I'm telling myself a challenging story about how hard it will be.

In both cases, my story is more damaging than the thing itself. The time I spend dreading a schedule change is basically training my brain to be on alert and miserable. And the guilt from missing a day (or more) makes it harder to get started again.

Catching the story and finding ways to be gentler and more flexible with ourselves can lead to steadier progress over time.

August Challenge: Catch the Story

This month, notice when you're avoiding or beating yourself up about something. Pause and ask what story you're telling yourself about it.

Reflect on:

• What story am I telling myself?

• Where does the story come from?

• Is the story true, or is there anything I could do to test it?

• What would I prefer the story to be?

• What's the smallest next step?

What stories have you already told yourself today? What stories do you want to be telling yourself?

Join the challenge! Click here or on the image below for the tracker and record at least one story you told yourself each day along with a revised version that supports you.