✍️ Desk of Amy Suto: The 1 Limiting Belief Holding You Back
Stepping into your own as an empowered writer and human.
In this post you’ll learn…
✍️ The mindset shift that unlocked so much for me
📚 How limiting beliefs hold us back
✨ Plus: a free webinar on memoir ghostwriting this Monday!
✍️ Free Webinar on Monday About Memoir Ghostwriting [Mon, September 23rd at 3pm ET]
Marion Roach so kindly invited me as a guest on her “Let Me Introduce You” series to chat about all things memoir ghostwriting.
You can register at the link below — it’s free to join!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
📖 3-Minute Story: The 1 Limiting Belief Holding You Back
In my early 20s, I thought that the world “owed” me something.
I thought that if I showed up in the way that society told me to, I’d be deserving of the outcome I was told I’d get.
They tell us to follow the formula:
Climb the ladder > get the promised prize > live happily ever after.
But because you’re reading this Substack that I’m typing to you beachside from Madeira, Portugal, you know that my journey was much better when I took my fate into my own hands.
Most writers — and people — are plagued by a victim mentality. Bad things happen to us, so we operate from a place of fear and scarcity. We fall into patterns thinking “this is just how things are” while stewing on how badly we’ve been treated or how deeply we’ve been wronged.
In 2021, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. As someone who has struggled with fairly unfounded medical anxiety most of my life, this was my greatest fear.
But after my diagnosis, I felt fairly calm. Steady. I didn’t feel like a victim: I felt like I was being given a unique test. A challenge that would help me grow.
So, I faced it as that. Days later, I found a nutritionist to help me, I was doing my own research about the type of diet and lifestyle changes I needed to make, and I went against “common sense” and started traveling the world.
Three years later, I’m in remission — something I don’t think could have happened had I fallen into a “woe is me” victim mentality. There are a lot of factors that helped me heal, but they all were built on the foundation of this mindset shift: I am not a victim. I am responsible for my life and I can change it.
Radical responsibility gives us agency. If we take responsibility and “own” where we’re at in life, we’re suddenly in a position where we can change everything. From this new vantage point, depression and anxiety and anger fall away, and a path forward is illuminated.
In what ways in your own life have you fallen into the victim mentality?
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More posts of mine I think you’ll love…
✨ Products I’ve Loved This Week…
Each week, I highlight 2 of my favorite picks in the categories of travel gadgets, clean beauty, fashion, and more.
Here is this week’s list:
SafetyWing Travel Insurance.* I recommend using SafetyWing if you’re a digital nomad or a traveler. Having this insurance saved me quite a bit of money last year, and it’s one of those things that helps with peace of mind!
Ororo Heated Jacket.* I’m obsessed with this heated jacket and recently posted a TikTok from the foggy forest in Portugal about why I love it.
*Affiliate links.
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
Working Remotely in Spitalfields, London, England (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
Working Remotely in Edinburgh, UK (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
Working Remotely in Krakow, Poland (Digital Nomad Travel Guide)
📸 Photo of the Week: Dragon Tail Hike in Madeira, Portugal
The hiking in Madeira is unreal. Full travel guide coming soon for this gorgeous island :)
Follow me on Substack Notes and Instagram for more!
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
I like the term “radical responsibility.” I discovered years ago that accepting agency was the only way to create the life I wanted and needed for myself and my kids. There’s a lot of failure involved and no one to blame, which is frustrating - but it’s empowering when you succeed. It’s also a good example for others.
Wow, I had no idea that that was the attitude you had going into facing your autoimmune condition, Amy. That is so brave of you, and so inspiring. This is a really interesting medical story, especially when many people think their only option is pills, needles, and chemicals. You'll have to tell us more about what you found out about your condition.