Our thoughts and stories shape our reality — but not all of them are worth keeping. In this guided meditation, Adam Coelho invites you to pause, breathe, and ask one powerful question: *Is this useful?* Learn to recognize unhelpful mental stories, release them with mindfulness, and choose a new story that moves you toward the life you want.

Get clear on your post-FI vision with my free envisioning exercise: http://mindfulfire.org/start

## Key Takeaways

- Our stories and thoughts create our reality — the ones we pay the most attention to shape our lived experience.
- A body and mind scan helps you arrive fully present before going deeper into the practice.
- Unhelpful thoughts are like bubbles in boiling water — they rise, come to the surface, and pop away on their own.
- When a thought or story feels particularly strong, ask: *Is this useful? Is it moving me toward the life I want to live?*
- If a story isn't useful, you have the power to choose to let it go — it's just a thought, not the truth of who you are.
- Choosing a new, useful story repeatedly is like planting and watering a seed — over time, it becomes your reality.
- Mindfulness is the key tool for catching unhelpful patterns and gently redirecting your attention back to the breath.
- Each in-breath is a new beginning; each out-breath is a chance to let go.
- At the close of the practice, ask yourself: *What story would I like to embody today — one that moves me toward my vision?*

## Chapters

00:00 Welcome and Community

00:22 Stories Shape Reality

00:54 Settle In and Breathe

02:28 Body and Mind Scan

04:20 Return to the Breath

07:01 Notice Unhelpful Stories

08:21 Is This Thought Useful?

13:44 Choose a New Story

15:41 Plant the Seed Daily

16:44 Closing Breaths and Invite

## About the Show

The Mindful FIRE podcast is a show about crafting a life you love and making work optional using mindfulness, financial independence, resilience and envisioning.