You've repeated their voices so long, you forgot your own.

THE 5 MINUTE DAILY

That voice in your head? It wasn't yours to begin with.

It's your mother's worry about what the neighbors think. Your father's belief that "people like us don't do that." Your teacher who said you weren't "college material." Your ex who convinced you that you ask for too much.

You've been walking around with a boardroom of critics in your skull, and you gave them all permanent seats.

Here's the problem: You can't become who you're meant to be if you're still echoing who raised you.

Last month, a guy told me he wanted to start his own business but kept hearing his dad's voice: "Steady jobs are safe jobs." His dad worked the same factory job for 30 years and retired broke.

Whose voice is running your life?

THE VOICES THAT AREN'T YOURS

You think those thoughts in your head are yours. They're not.

"Money doesn't grow on trees." "Don't get too big for your britches." "Who do you think you are?" "People like us don't..."

These aren't insights. They're inherited limitations.

Your family handed you their fears like family heirlooms, and you've been polishing them ever since.

But here's what they didn't tell you: Just because you inherited something doesn't mean you have to keep it.

TODAY'S EXCAVATION

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write down 3 beliefs you carry that never felt like yours.

Maybe it's "Don't trust people too quickly" or "Hard work is the only way" or "You can't have it all."

Look at your list. Really look at it.

Now cross one out. Just one.

That belief just lost its power over you.

THE HARD TRUTH

You can't become who you're meant to be if you're still echoing who raised you.

Those voices in your head aren't wisdom. They're limitations disguised as protection.

Your parents did their best with what they had. But their fears don't have to become your ceiling.

Most people will read this and think "but family is important" or "I should respect my upbringing."

You can love your family and reject their limitations.

Respect doesn't mean inheritance. You can honor where you came from without staying there.

It's your mind. Reclaim the microphone.