The Roots: Digging Deep to Find Your Own Truth

From the moment we are born, we are given stories and lessons, gently placed in our hands by those around us—family, teachers, mentors, and friends. These messages shape our understanding of the world, offering guidance and helping us make sense of life’s many complexities. But as we walk our own paths, there comes a time when the lessons handed down by others begin to feel heavy. The roots of their teachings, once a source of support, start to weave so tightly around our own truths that they risk stifling the growth of our unique selves.

It’s at this crossroads that we must make a choice: to continue living by the lessons others have instilled in us, or to dig deeper, beyond their roots, and discover the truths that are truly ours.

Letting go of what we’ve been taught doesn’t mean we discard the value of others’ wisdom. Instead, it’s about recognizing the need to step back and see beyond the surface of those teachings. What did you learn from that mentor’s words, not just on the surface, but beneath it? What wisdom blossomed within you after facing a challenge that someone else encouraged you to take on? It’s these deeper insights—the ones you’ve nurtured and grown for yourself—that hold the most meaning.

Imagine standing before an old tree, its roots sprawling in every direction. Some of those roots are your own—steadfast and sturdy. Others belong to people who have been part of your journey—woven in so closely that you can no longer tell where their influence ends and your truth begins. In order to discover what’s truly yours, you must be willing to unearth each one. To carefully untangle those lessons from others and examine what lies beneath. What remains when you remove the outer layers of expectations and beliefs that you’ve carried?

When you pause and do this work, you may find that the true gift wasn’t the lesson itself, but how it inspired you to create your own understanding of the world. Maybe a mentor once told you to always aim for perfection, and for years, you diligently pursued that ideal. But beneath that pursuit, there may lie a quieter, more personal lesson: that striving for perfection made you more resilient, more willing to learn from mistakes, and ultimately more accepting of your imperfections. That’s your truth—born from another’s words but shaped and molded into something uniquely yours.

The process of discovery can be both daunting and exhilarating. There will be moments of wonder when you realize just how much you’ve grown on your own. Times when inspiration strikes, filling you with a sense of alignment and purpose that feels undeniably right. It’s in these moments that you know you are living the story of you, not someone else’s version of it.

By digging deeper and releasing what no longer serves you, you open up space for your own roots to expand and flourish. You become anchored in the essence of who you are, rather than in who others think you should be. It’s from this place of authenticity that everything else in your life begins to come into alignment. The people who enter your world, the opportunities that arise, and the experiences that shape your journey all start to resonate with the truth you’ve uncovered within.

And it all begins by asking yourself, What do I believe to be true? What is my story? Take the time to unearth the answers. Sit with your thoughts, observe what comes up, and honor the wisdom that flows from your own depths. As you do, you’ll find that the most profound lessons are not the ones given to you, but the ones you create for yourself.

So, let go of what others have taught you if it no longer resonates. Keep only what speaks to your heart, and allow yourself the grace to grow, to stretch, and to live authentically. As you do, you’ll find that the roots of your own story are more powerful than you could have ever imagined—grounded in truth and ready to support your every step forward.

This is the true magic of digging deep: discovering that within your own story lies everything you need to live fully, freely, and in alignment with the world around you.