How to Overcome Yourself to Experience a Better Life
- Brainz Magazine
- Nov 6, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 8, 2025
Written by Kate Castro, Singer/Songwriter/Keynote Speaker
Kate Castro is known for her resilient mindset and founder of SenseK8 LLC. She is a singer, songwriter, and keynote speaker who teaches people the importance of embracing uncertainty during adversity to lead a happier life. You can see Kate in the 2025 fall TV series of “Women In Power.”
Are you ready to transform self-limiting beliefs that have formed from years of fearful, obstructive thoughts? Overcoming yourself means changing the way you've always approached things, leading to different outcomes and ultimately changing your circumstances. Rewiring your brain for a better life is possible and truly worth it, bringing more joy to your time on Earth. When you consistently feed your mind with new thoughts, you begin to act according to those new beliefs and energy. Let's embark on this path by exploring key steps to achieve this freedom.
1. Awareness
Reflect on what you’ve been thinking about your life
To change your way of being, you must first observe what you’ve been paying attention to. Many people go through life on autopilot and wonder why they feel a lack or demotivated. If your focus is on outside people, situations, or the past, a life of freedom and joy will be hard to achieve. Spending too much energy on things that you have no control over is draining. To arrive, instead of being in the pursuit of happiness, you must focus on yourself and the attention you give to things that are important to you. One factor in making the world a better place is to work on yourself.
Identify the way your past thoughts and behaviors made you feel
People often obsess over embarrassing, shameful, or regretful past moments, which only generates more negative feelings. Ruminating on things you're not proud of creates anxiety and fear, making daily life difficult for some. Depression can occur when this cycle of negative thoughts persists, leaving little room for new, happy experiences. In her research and 2012 TED Talk, Dr. Brené Brown reveals that shame thrives in secrecy, silence, and self-judgment, fueling chronic anxiety and emotional distress,[1] “I am a failure” vs “I failed” 2012.
Fear, guilt, shame, and grief can negatively impact your health if you don't understand how to manage them and their effect on your body. Emotions are energy in motion, they need to be processed rather than remaining stuck in your mind and body. Self-compassion and acceptance of the past are key to a healthy mentality. Give yourself grace as you figure out how to move forward positively.
Choose what makes you feel good
Paying attention to what evokes positive emotions is important because your thoughts produce your feelings. Strong and meaningful emotions amplify change. When your energy is high, you feel happier, more upbeat, and more inclined to engage in activities or projects that deliver satisfactory or stellar results.
Feeling good originates in your brain and what you feed it. When you direct your attention to things that light you up, you will not only feel better mentally, but your body will also benefit. In his book Becoming Supernatural, Dr. Joe Dispenza writes about the importance of elevated emotions and their impact on our brains, bodies, and lives.[2] The HeartMath Institute's researchers studied a large group of individuals and measured how changes in their feelings and thoughts impacted their external environment when elevated emotions were present.
2. Pause/Breathe/Shift (PBS)
Pause
Identifying how you’ve been operating to get the results you’ve been getting is the first step in overcoming yourself. Knowing how to make a change is next, and my Pause, Breathe, Shift method, or PBS method, is helpful in this process. I used the PBS method throughout my cancer journey, and it helped me immensely. 'Pause' once you’re aware of how you’ve been conducting yourself. Sometimes, when you need a way out, taking a step back to realize you are the way out is powerful. Pause before deciding how to proceed. Doing this allows space for thoughts that align with the new identity or life you’re striving for to appear. Different areas of your life may need more pausing time than others. If you need clarity on a complex situation with others where emotions and several personalities are at play, it may take more time, therefore, the pause could be days or weeks. Professional opportunities or challenges might only require a couple of hours until you have the wherewithal to proceed.
Breathe
Relaxation of the mind empowers you to harness the power of your thoughts and energy through concentrated breathing. When you are aware of your breath, the external chatter of the world slows down. The act of breathing is a necessity for survival, yet this simple act alone offers us perspective. Slow down, stop rushing to the next project, story, or task. Breathe to be present, here and now. It is very difficult to imagine a new way of life if you are constantly rushing or making things happen instead of allowing them to unfold organically.
Shift
Go outside. Taking time away from our fast-paced, overstimulated world is necessary to clear your mind of clutter and information that doesn't pertain to you and your future. Be one with nature. Notice the trees, grass, birds, and squirrels. Nothing is forced. Recognizing the flow of living organisms in your environment helps you shift your thinking and energy. Once you are in that present moment, you can foster new creative thoughts for a brighter future.
3. Identify what you want
Many people have no idea what they truly want in life because they've been operating out of habit. According to the National Library of Medicine, babies begin forming habits as young as two months old. We get into routines of doing things a certain way, and realizing the need for change isn't easy if you desire a new outcome. That's why allowing time for thoughts to materialize into something grander or become a catalyst for a new you is significant.
Decide what you want and nurture it while aligning your energy with inspired action. Be true to yourself and your soul, not society. We are only here on Earth for a limited time. When you focus on your mindset and make it stronger, no one can take that away from you. Authenticity surpasses the perfect imitation of something or someone you're not. Copying someone else may work for a while, even bringing success, but it's not sustainable forever. Eventually, you'll feel tired and depleted from maintaining an act that consumes too much energy.
4. Believe
Knowing what you want and taking inspired action to get it is a major factor in overcoming yourself. Believing that you are worthy of attaining it and keeping it is another important element in transforming the past into your dreams/new future. Trust that you know what’s best for you better than anyone else. Trusting this and knowing it wholeheartedly instills confidence and value. Knowing who you are as a person and honoring that truth makes you unstoppable. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Embody
Once you believe that you’re capable of attaining your desires, foster emotional thoughts that give you strong positive feelings. Research indicates that our mind doesn’t know the difference between an imaginary act that we’ve carried out in our head and an actual event that took place in physical reality. The works of Esther Hays and Neville Goddard examine and prove this theory to be correct. Everything is energy, so expect magic to unfold for you. When you match the frequency of the reality you want, that reality is on the way.
Practice daily
Believe, embody the attainable, and rehearse feeling the high vibrations of it. The more you practice in this energy, the more you align with frequencies that mirror it.
Make decisions that will bring you closer to your goals. Do not give your attention away to distractions that arise for too long, as that will steer you away from what you want. Align with people who have an interest in what you want.
5. Patience
To endure what is divinely meant for you (many people find it difficult), leaving room or letting time do its magic for answers and ideas to evolve into what you passionately want in life is monumental in this process of rewiring your brain.
Being aware of your attitude while you're in the process of manifesting all that you want. Constant worry or stress does not accelerate the process. Coach yourself up daily because you know that what you’re seeking is on its way and arriving at the right time. When you try to control each step in the process, resistance takes place. You push it away and create a longer timeframe for your wishes to transform. Let go and let it unfold. Overcoming yourself takes time and alignment. Choosing to do things differently than you ever have doesn’t happen overnight. Patience is an act of creativity, and the more we are at ease with the timing of it all, the more magnificent our lives will be.
Read more from Kate Castro
Kate Castro, Singer/Songwriter/Keynote Speaker
Kate Castro is a singer, songwriter, and keynote speaker. A cancer diagnosis provoked a personal and spiritual awakening. Healing and transformation lead her to guide others to find what lights them up in life. Founder of SenseK8 LLC, living in possibility and embracing uncertainty is what Kate encourages others to experience. All challenges have the ability to be opportunities. You can see Kate in the 2025 fall TV series of “Women In Power.”
References:
[1] Brown, 2012
[2] Dispenza, Joe. Carlsbad, CA. 2017, Hay House, Inc.
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