Propaganda I Am Not Falling For
and nor should you.
Good day, friends.
Tomorrow is my due date, and yep — I’m still waiting for this baby girl to arrive.
Well, what else is there to do but doom-scroll while I wait?
My ‘gram is full of “Propaganda I’m Not Falling For” reels — some of them quite random. But the concept inspired me to reflect on a few of the limiting narratives I’ve noticed floating around in the self-empowerment and personal development space.
Here’s my hot take:
You need to know where you’re headed before you start.
This one’s everywhere — especially among women looking to reinvent themselves. We crave clarity and direction before we feel confident enough to take the next step.
But the truth? Action precedes clarity.
Your mind has the ability to convince you of anything — why you should or shouldn’t do something, how it will harm or help you. We’ve all lived such rich lives that we have enough memories to prove both our confidence and our fears.
So on the path of reinvention, waiting for clarity is often just an excuse.
Start before you know where you’re headed.
The answers will come as you move forward.
There’s a right age, time, or place to reinvent yourself.
This one shows up often — especially in my South Asian circles. The idea that reinvention or life pivots are off-limits once you hit your 30s. You picked your high school stream, your master’s program, your career path — now you must stick with it.
Sure, when you enjoy what you're doing, it makes sense to deepen your knowledge and mastery. But if you’re yearning to change your life — to transform it into something more aligned with your soul’s desires — there is no “right” time, place, or age.
Start. Start now.
Start without fear.
Healing is only for those who have money.
I hear this often — especially from folks who believe they need a therapist or certified coach to start managing their lives. But healing isn’t something someone else gives you.
Healing is free. It’s about the choices you make.
Are you willing to wake up an hour earlier to meditate or journal?
Can you move your body without a gym membership?
Will you cook nourishing food even when there’s a McDonald’s drive-through around the corner?
I share this beautiful reel by A Really Good Cry Podcast to further iterate - Growth, healing, and health are free. You just have to choose.
Build quietly and alone.
Okay — this one might be divisive. It may not be your style to scream your growth plan from the rooftops or create a Substack about it (like me :D). But I still believe this:
Growth happens best in community.
"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," - African Proverb.’
We’re taught to mask our struggles and maintain a polished image, even when we’re hurting. We teach our kids (and ourselves) to “win” in public — whether in school or on TikTok. But that performative success serves no one.
Not you.
Not your truth.
Not your mission.
So whatever you're building — your self, your business, your dream, your cause — build in community.
Ask for help.
Share what you know.
Exchange energy and skills.
Co-create a world that serves beyond just you.
The only real answers lie in modern science.
Final bit of propaganda: that “real” answers must be backed by science.
Why? So our minds can logically understand and accept something?
The irony is — science is a practice of RE-search.
It’s the act of seeking truths that already exist — maybe ones that were lost, dismissed, or hidden, but are now being re-discovered.
So how can we believe that only what’s been “proven” is true?
There are countless magical things on this Earth we don’t yet understand — but that doesn’t make them false.
Some of my favorite examples:
Dhyana and Pranayama from India, now repackaged as Transcendental Meditation and Breathwork.
Indigenous crop rotation practices, now rebranded as Regenerative Farming.
So much of the world’s wisdom already exists — long before the science community gave it a stamp of approval.
Which is why, even in self-healing, I don’t buy into the idea that healing can’t happen without science or certifications.
So that’s my list.
That’s the propaganda I’m not falling for.
What about you? Did any of these resonate?
Comment with a bit of “propaganda” you’ve stopped believing in on your self-healing journey — I’d love to hear <3