Your Environment Is Lying To You
Why can’t you change in the same space where you built your struggle
You’re not lazy. You’re not unmotivated. You’re not broken.
You’re just stuck in an ecosystem that’s perfectly designed to keep you small.
And no, a new planner, a better podcast, or a motivational quote on your mirror won’t fix it.
Let’s break the lie and talk about the real reason change feels impossible.
Let me say it loud for the people in the back:
You can't heal, grow, or level up in the same space that built your breakdown.
I learned this the hard way, sitting in the same chair, surrounded by the same people, trying to “become” someone new… while everything around me kept dragging me back to who I was.
That’s not self-sabotage. That’s environmental gravity.
Here’s why change doesn’t stick when your surroundings are stuck:
1. Your environment reinforces your identity (even when you outgrow it)
Ever notice how the moment you visit your hometown, you become your old self?
You don’t think. You regress. Same jokes. Same fears. Same habits. It’s muscle memory.
Your brain wires context to behavior. If your apartment, your friends, your daily route were part of your burnout or stagnation, they’re coded into that version of you.
Trying to transform in that same place is like trying to swim upstream with concrete boots.
2. People around you are invested in the “you” they know
It’s not always malicious. But it’s real.
When you change, it threatens the status quo. People project their comfort zone onto you. Your growth creates friction.
I remember telling a friend I wanted to write online. First thing he said:
“But you’re not a writer.”
Not “cool.” Not “tell me more.” Just a reflex to pin me back into the version of me that was easier for him to understand.
People need you to stay consistent… even if that means staying stuck.
3. Physical space cues emotional behavior
I used to journal about big dreams from a desk, and I also used to cry 3 nights a week.
Guess what happened?
My nervous system couldn’t separate the past from the present.
Your room. Your desk. Your corner of the café.
It all holds memories. And sometimes those memories are stronger than your intentions.
You think you’re building a new habit. But you’re triggering an old wound.
Now here’s the part most people won’t tell you...
So what do you do when you can’t just pack up and move to Bali?
Because I get it, not everyone can nuke their life, quit their job, or change cities overnight.
I didn’t.
But I learned this:
You don’t have to change everything, just enough to break the loop.
Here’s how to do it without blowing up your life:
Change one room, radically
If your bedroom has been your anxiety pit, don’t just clean it. Reclaim it.
I bought a cheap desk lamp, swapped my sheets, and got rid of two drawers full of “past me” clothes.
Suddenly, the space felt unfamiliar. That’s the point. Familiarity is where habits hide.
Change who you check in with
If you’re talking about growth with the same people who roll their eyes every time you bring up a new goal?
You need a new circle. Or at least a new corner of the internet.
Join a new Slack. DM one person who’s already doing what you want to do.
Borrow belief until you build your own.
Create a “no memory” zone
This is the simplest, but most underrated, move I made.
I started going to a new café every Saturday. Same drink. Same table. But a new place, no associations.
That neutral space gave me the distance to imagine a new version of me, not be pulled into old energy.
And guess what? That’s where I wrote my first article.
Sometimes, change isn’t about trying harder. It’s about finding air.
If you’ve been wondering why you “can’t stay consistent”…
If you keep blaming your motivation, your schedule, your willpower…
It’s not you.
It’s the water you’re swimming in.
Change the water, even a little, and everything shifts.
You just learned how changing your physical and digital environment, even a little, can be enough to break the loop. But now comes the hardest part:
Doing it. Daily. For real. Without quitting after 3 days.
Because here’s the cold truth no one wants to admit:
Most people will nod their heads to everything we just said…
Then they’ll open Instagram, scroll past a few reels, and slip right back into the same loop.
Don’t do that. Join now to change the way of practice your dailies.
Here’s how to make change stick (and why most never do)
Alright. We talked about environmental gravity. The shit that’s pulling you back down every time you try to climb out.
But if you wanna break free — not just for a weekend dopamine rush, but for good — you need a plan. Not a vibe. A real f*cking plan.
And I’ll show you mine.
I call it The 3D Escape Loop, not because it’s fancy. But because it’s stupid simple, and it works.
It’s how I wrote my first viral post from a new café with shaky hands and no idea what I was doing.
It’s how I started making money online.
Here’s what it looks like:
1. Design a micro-environment
Make one corner of your life feel like a new identity.
Not your whole house. Not your whole week.
Just one tiny, controlled space that has no memory of the old you.
If you wanna write? Set up a desk that’s never seen your burnout.
If you wanna get fit? Leave your yoga mat at a park, not your depression den.
If you wanna focus? Book a two-hour slot in a co-working space once a week.
This isn’t about being productive. It’s about being free.
2. Ditch memory-based identity loops
You’re not failing because you’re lazy.
You’re failing because every time you sit down at your old desk, you’re replaying an old version of you.
So stop anchoring yourself to that past.
Write in the Notes app, not your Moleskine journal full of sad thoughts.
Record voice memos on walks. Burn the old morning routine. Use a new playlist.
Don’t optimize. Delete the ghost data.
3. Draft in public
Wanna change your identity?
Stop keeping it secret.
Tell one person. Make one post. Send one email.
You don’t need a blog or a camera crew. You need to start leaking out your new self in tiny doses, into the world, so you can watch it bounce back.
Feedback is fuel. Accountability is gravity. And momentum?
That shit loves to move in public.
P.S.: In the next article, we’ll talk about the 3 brutal truths that helped me finally grow up.
“But I don’t know how to begin…”
Exactly why I made this.
If you’re ready to stop being stuck, like really ready.
I built a free 7-day email course that walks you through this process. With real scripts. Tools. Examples. Step-by-step.
It’s the exact method I used to start writing, build a digital life, and slowly build momentum.
Here’s what you’ll learn: