Are You Trapped in the 'I'm the Exception' Mindset? Here's How to Break Free

Do you find yourself falling into this common mindset trap?

I bet you have—at least once this week! 👀

In fact, you might even do it daily without realizing it.

Are you thinking, “Well, yeah, some people probably do, but this doesn’t apply to me”?

THAT, my friend, is the trap. 😖

We hear about consequences or risks and immediately think, “That won’t happen to me. I’m different.”

• Everyone else might need to take time for themselves, but I’ll be fine. I can do it all.
• I don’t need to lift weights. I won’t lose muscle as I age. 
• I won’t be the one to fall and break something—I’m careful.
• I won’t develop a chronic illness even though my life is pretty sedentary and my diet is mediocre. I have no symptoms now.

Sound familiar?

This realization hit me SO hard recently.

I was reading Mel Robbins' new book, The Let Them Theory (if you are on my email list- you know I'm a huge fan!). In Chapter 14, she shares research showing that “every single person on the planet thinks THEY are the exception.”

And my first thought was... “I don’t do that.”

Which, ironically, proved her point right then and there.

So, I paused and asked myself, “Well, crap... where else in my life am I applying this logic?”

Spoiler alert: I found several places. (More on that in a bit!)

It also made me look at my clients differently. I started to see how this mindset might be a hidden roadblock or barrier they hadn’t even considered—or, frankly, that I hadn’t addressed with them before. If I’m honest, I probably have heard this concept before but wasn’t ready to fully take it in until now.

Are you ready to hear it?

This awareness has completely shifted how I view my habits and behaviors. It’s made me question those unconscious thought patterns that quietly hold me back.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into this mindset and tackle it head-on, follow the challenge below!

The Challenge: Find one scenario where you’ve been telling yourself you’re the exception.

These are the stories we tell ourselves—stories that often become so ingrained in our identity that they feel impossible to change.

But the first step toward real change is bringing these patterns to light and calling ourselves out.

So, as you go through your day or week, pay attention to your behaviors. Ask yourself: “Am I making excuses or telling myself I’m different?”

Here are some areas to reflect on:

• Health: I eat well enough; this pop isn’t a big deal. I walk enough at work; I don’t need more exercise. I can function just fine on 5 hours of sleep; I don’t see any negative effects.
• Work: Are you overworking or avoiding important tasks?
• Parenting: Do you believe your approach doesn’t need adjustment?
• Relationships: Are you ignoring ways to strengthen your connections?
• Finances: Are you convincing yourself certain habits are “just fine” when they’re not?

We all have these stories. You can lie to me, but do NOT lie to yourself. 😉

This simple awareness could be the first step to uncovering a roadblock that’s kept you stuck—preventing you from reaching a goal you’ve wanted but struggled to achieve long-term. 

Let me spill the dirt on the habits I’ve noticed in myself where I thought I was the exception. Even as someone who’s dedicated her life to understanding health and wellness, I still uncover roadblocks that I don’t always recognize at first.

Here’s what came up for me—just in the past week:

• I believed I could build muscle and definition without increasing weight or sticking to a specific routine for 8–12 weeks before moving on.
• I thought my daughter’s sleep issues had nothing to do with how I responded to her waking up at night.
• I assumed I could hit my work goals without setting any metrics or deadlines.
• I convinced myself that the large bowl of ice cream I had every night wasn’t affecting my health goals.
• I expected to form good adult friendships without putting in effort and just waiting for others to include me. 

I’m not making this up—every single one of these surfaced recently.

Here’s the kicker: I’ve already made conscious decisions to shift my approach on three of these, and I’m amazed at how this small mindset shift is already helping me form better habits.

What about you? Did anything stand out as you reflected on your own habits?