The End of Old Patterns. The Start of Your New Story.
Is growth inevitable? Fail. Learn. Try again.
That’s what I believed. But looking back, I wasn’t growing. I was looping. Practicing the same patterns. Perfecting the same mistakes.
The Pattern Wasn’t in the Puzzle. It Was in Me.
The professor handed each of us two images from a visual sequence. Then he placed three images face up on one side of the room, and three more on the opposite side.
The instructions were simple—but strict:
Keep your images hidden.
Work together to figure out the correct sequence.
Place your images face down on the floor, in the order you think they belong.
At the end, we’d do a big reveal to see if we’d solved the puzzle.
Almost immediately, I saw it.
On one side of the room: a small blue dot, then Earth, then North America. On the other: a red blob that became a rooster’s crest, then a full rooster framed in a barn window.
“It’s a zoom,” I said. “From rooster to Earth.”
Getting everyone’s attention proved difficult. Luckily, a classmate—the eldest of seven siblings—stepped up. “Everyone pipe down and listen up,” she shouted.
I explained my theory. People nodded. Someone chimed in: “My image goes next. It’s a farm—I can see the barn and the rooster clearly.” They placed their image face down in the right spot. Others followed. For a moment, it felt like we had it.
Then someone said:
“Wait. What if it zooms out… and then back in?”
No. Why? I couldn’t believe it. The answer was obvious. But debate erupted. Voices overlapped. People shifted images around. Frustration hit. And without thinking, I did what I always did back then.
I withdrew. I pulled away. Sat down. And shut down.
But this time, I saw it:
When I felt powerless, I left.
That pattern wasn’t protecting me. It was trapping me. Clarity without connection isn’t leadership. And being correct isn’t the same as being effective. In the end, having the right answer didn’t matter. No one followed. Because I was the one who walked away.
Entrepreneurship After the Escape
This was my pattern—one of them at least. And you have yours too.
These patterns lead to things like burnout, broken businesses, and strained relationships. Their root cause:
Practiced failure.
Not deliberate. Not conscious. Just automatic moves. Emotional reflexes. Familiar scripts you don’t even realize you’re following.
But here’s the shift:
This isn’t fate. It’s habit.
And habits can change—once you see them. Because once you realize you’re shaping your reality, you can start reshaping it—to serve you.
That’s not blame. That’s power.
And you don’t have to wait.
Every day is a chance to choose differently. To stop running on autopilot. To lead your life—on purpose. You’ve already proven you have the energy to keep trying.
What you need now isn’t more effort. It’s a new way of moving.
Practicing New Moves
What got me free—and keeps me free—are the same five moves I’ve shared throughout this series. I don’t treat these as rules. I treat them as practices—because like any skill worth learning, you get better the more you use it.
They didn’t just fix my business. They changed how I lead, how I work, and how I live.
Here’s what I practice:
Talk to yourself. Catch the story you’re telling. Question it. Choose a better one.
Let go. Stop gripping. Be grateful. Feel safe.
Make things happen. Focus on what’s working. Double down. Don’t force it.
Connect. Go first. Offer help. Build something together.
Keep it simple. Strip back the noise. Focus on what matters.
I stumble. I drift. That’s normal. You will too. But every day, I get to choose: keep rehearsing the old role… or practice something new.
And when history starts to rhyme?
I’ll choose a different verse. I hope you do too.
Want to try it?
Every day, you’re rehearsing something.
Old patterns? Or a new way of moving? That’s the choice. And it’s already happening.
Freedom isn’t earned. It’s chosen. One deliberate step at a time.
Choose yours.
The next time you feel stuck—or worn out—stop. Find a quiet space. Talk to yourself. Write. Reflect. Listen.
That’s where the 5 Practices begin. Not with fixing your business. Not with optimizing your team.
They begin with you.
Need a reminder on how the Practices work? Go back to Article 1. The story you’ve been living isn’t the only one available.
Stop looping. Start practicing. 😉
—Stavros
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This isn’t just a content series. It’s a movement to redefine what success means—and we’d love to have you with us.
This is the final article in a 7-part series on The 5 Practices of Entrepreneurial Freedom.
In the next article series we will explore how to build a culture of freedom. Stay tuned.
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