Rewriting the Patterns — and Metaphors — That Run Your Life

Rewriting the Patterns — and Metaphors — That Run Your Life

Attraction is the easiest place to see it—pattern recognition at work. We think we’re choosing who we like, but much of it was chosen for us long before we knew what attraction was. We absorb it without realizing. Billboards, movies, TV shows, passing comments at dinner tables—these shape what we find appealing. A boy learns to notice certain body parts. A girl hears again and again that tall men are “better.” These aren’t instincts—they’re patterns we’ve been soaking in since birth. But attraction is just the surface. The same quiet shaping decides:

• What kind of work we think we “should” do.
• How much money we believe we can earn.
• How we react in conflict—shutting down, lashing out, or listening.
• Whether we see ourselves as worthy of respect and love.
• Even how happy we think we’re “allowed” to be.

Pattern recognition isn’t a small thing—it’s the operating system for our lives.

Support the channel and future content ☕ Buy Me a Coffee

And here’s something most people never notice: Our patterns are wrapped in metaphors we didn’t choose.

We grow up inside them:

• “Life is a race” → hurry, compete, compare.
• “Love is a game” → strategize, win, lose.
• “Money is security” → hoard, fear loss.
• “Success is climbing a ladder” → keep climbing, never rest.

These aren’t facts—they’re mental frames. But once accepted, they dictate how we think, feel, and act as if they were reality. Most of us are living a set of patterns inside a set of metaphors—both installed without our consent. Because this happens mostly below awareness, we believe our choices are purely “us.” In reality, they’re us + the inherited patterns + the inherited metaphors. If you want your best life, small tweaks won’t cut it. You’d have to rewrite your whole life—not because everything is wrong, but because without a conscious rewrite, the old patterns will keep running the same scripts… and the old metaphors will keep steering the story.

That rewrite starts with awareness:

• Notice when your “preferences” match what culture praises most.
• Ask yourself if a belief or habit serves you—or just feels familiar.
• Look for the metaphors hiding in your language—then choose better ones.
• Expose yourself to new models, stories, and ways of being until your brain has more to choose from.

Pattern recognition built the life you have now. Metaphors gave it shape. Awareness can build the life you actually want—and give it a shape that finally feels like you. You get to decide whether to keep running the inherited code, or write something new that changes both the patterns and the story.

Derek Wolf

If something in this spoke to you, there’s more waiting.
I write, interact, and teach more deeply over at www.L2Bintuitive.com—where we explore how to actually live what you feel.

Read These Next:

Why I Still Question Myself I Wasn’t Wrong—Just Early I Felt It Before I Knew It When I Got Quiet Enough Stopped Asking for Permission Why Most People Miss the Signs I Don’t Need to Be Right. I Need to Be Aligned. I’m Not Always Peaceful, But I Am Always Listening Some Lessons Don’t Come in Words I Didn’t Plan Any of This. I Just Followed It. I’ve Shared My Steps. Now It’s Your Turn.