Drop It Like It’s Hot

In this motivational episode of Who Am I? Podcast, Jeff Hopgood challenges listeners to take a hard look at the habits, thoughts, excuses, and patterns that are keeping them stuck.

“Drop It Like It’s Hot” is a powerful reminder that some things are too dangerous to keep carrying. Negative thinking, fear, procrastination, self-doubt, bitterness, and old habits can slowly burn away your peace, purpose, and progress if you refuse to release them.

This episode encourages listeners to stop protecting what is hurting them, stop making excuses for what is delaying them, and start choosing discipline, healing, and growth.

Sometimes the next level of your life does not begin with what you pick up. It begins with what you finally decide to drop.

Pause. Reflect. Refocus.

Transcript

The Habit That’s Holding You Back

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Who Am I Podcast where we pause, reflect, and refocus. But before we get into today's episode, allow me to check on you really quick. And I don't want you to answer these questions for anybody else. Answer them strictly for you. What is one habit you already know is holding you back? What is something you keep picking back up, even though you know it's too heavy for the person you're trying to become? Maybe it's procrastination. Maybe it's overthinking. Maybe it's constantly comparing yourself to everybody else. Maybe it's saying yes when you really mean no. Maybe it's negative self-talk. Maybe it's scrolling for hours and then wondering where your time went. Maybe it's complaining. Maybe it's assuming the worst before anything even happens. Or maybe your habits is something nobody else sees. But you know it's there. So here's the question I want sitting in your mind throughout this entire episode. What do you need to drop before it drops you? What do you need to drop before it drops you? Pause on that for a moment. See before it drops you, because some things don't leave quietly. Some habits slowly drain your energy. Some thoughts quietly destroy your confidence. Some patterns don't ruin your life overnight. They do it five minutes at a time. One excuse at a time, one negative thought at a time, one delay at a time, one compromise at a time, and eventually you look up and realize I've been carrying something that was never supposed to come this far with me. Today we're talking about how to recognize it, confront it, and finally drop it like it's hot. So here's something I've been thinking about lately. Have you ever picked up something that was too hot? What's the first thing you do? You drop it, right? You don't hold a meeting about it. You don't pray for three weeks about whether the pan is hot. You don't call five friends and ask, do you think I should let this go? No. The moment your brain recognizes this is hurting me, your hand releases it. So why don't we do the same thing emotionally? Why do we hold on to attitudes that burn us? Why do we hold on to habits that hurt us? Why do we hold on to thoughts that make us miserable? Why do we keep touching the same stove and then acting surprised when we get burned? That's what I want to challenge today. See, there are things you already know are hurting you. And the question is no longer, is this bad for me? The question is, why am I still holding it? See, some habits don't look dangerous. When we hear the word bad habits, we usually think about the obvious things. But some of the most destructive habits don't look destructive at all. Some habits wear normal clothes. Some bad habits wear normal clothes. Overthinking looks like being careful. People pleasing looks like being nice. Procrastination looks like waiting for the right time. Perfectionism looks like having high standards. Negative self-talk looks like being realistic. Constant comparison looks like motivation. But underneath the surface, these habits may

The Hot Pan Rule

SPEAKER_00 6:03

be stealing your peace. And that's why you have to examine not only what you do, but also why you do it. So for example, you may say, I'm just thinking it through. But are you thinking or are you afraid? You may say, I'm waiting for the right opportunity, but are you waiting or avoiding? You may say, I'm just trying to make everybody happy, but are you being kind or are you afraid of rejection? Sometimes the habit isn't the real problem, the habit is a symptom. The real problem is underneath it. So let's talk about this one negative thinking. Because negativity can become automatic. You wake up, today is going to be terrible. Have you ever woke up and just said today is going to be a terrible day? You haven't your feet haven't even touched the floor yet. But then something good happens. Then you say, It probably won't last. Someone compliments you, and then you say, They're just being nice. An opportunity opens, and you

When Bad Habits Look Normal

SPEAKER_00 7:24

say, I'm probably not qualified. Someone doesn't text back, and in your mind, they must be upset with me. You make one mistake. I always mess everything up. Notice the words we use always, never, nobody, everybody.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

I never get ahead, everybody leaves me, nobody supports me.

SPEAKER_00 7:58

I always fail. And the danger is that if you say something long enough, eventually, you stop hearing it as an opinion, you start hearing it as truth. But every thought that enters your mind does not deserve a permanent address. Let me say that again. Every thought that enters your mind does not deserve a permanent address. Some thoughts need to be evicted, some thoughts need to be challenged, some thoughts need to be told you don't live here anymore because you cannot build a positive life with a mind that is committed to finding the negative in

Breaking The Negativity Loop

SPEAKER_00 8:43

everything. See, your mind is like an algorithm. Think about social media. The algorithm watches what you engage with. If you constantly click negative content, it shows you more negativity. If you constantly watch conflict, it gives you more conflict. If you keep engaging with fear, eventually your entire feed becomes fear. Your mind can work similarly. What you repeatedly focus on begins to shape what you notice. If you wake up looking for everything that's wrong, you're probably going to find it. If you spend your day expecting rejection, every delayed response starts failing personal. If you believe nobody supports you, you may ignore the three people who do because you're focused on the one person who doesn't. See, you have trained your mind to search for evidence that supports what you already believe. That's why changing your life often begins by changing the mental feed. You have to ask, what am I feeding my mind? And even more importantly, what is my mind feeding me? See, some thoughts are nothing but old recordings. And here's where it gets a little deeper. Some of your negative thinking may not have started with you. Maybe somebody says something years ago, a parent, a teacher, an ex, a friend, a supervisor, a family member, that you'll never be good enough. You're lazy, you're too sensitive, you're not too smart, you'll never make it. You always mess things up. And the person may be long gone, but the recordings are still playing. That's the scary part. That's the scary part because sometimes the person who criticized you doesn't even have to be in the room anymore because you learned how to criticize yourself for them. They planted the seed and you became the gardener. You kept watching it, you kept repeating it, you kept believing it, you kept watering it until somebody else's opinion became your inner voice. But today, today, maybe it's time to ask who taught me to think about myself this way? And is that voice still qualified to speak into my future? Because you may be carrying an identity that came from someone who never truly understood you. Drop it. Now allow me to tell you a story about the backpack. Imagine someone walking through an airport carrying a giant backpack. Inside the backpack are bricks, one brick says fear, another says

Old Voices And The Brick Backpack

SPEAKER_00 12:00

regret, another says procrastination, another comparison, another, I'm not good enough, another, what will people think? Another, I'll start tomorrow. Now imagine this person struggling through the airport, sweating, back hurting, moving slowly. Everybody else is walking toward their gate, but this person can barely move. Finally, someone asks, Why are you carrying all of that? And the person responds, I don't know. I've just been carrying it for so long. Think about that. They couldn't even explain why. It has simply become familiar. And sometimes familiarity keeps us connected to things that are hurting us. Just because you're used to carrying something doesn't mean you're supposed to keep carrying it. Maybe negativity is familiar. Maybe chaos is familiar. Maybe putting yourself last is familiar. Maybe constantly doubting yourself is familiar. Maybe quitting when things get difficult is familiar. But familiar does it mean healthy. Familiar does it mean necessary, and familiar certainly does it mean permanent. Imagine if that person finally took the backpack off. The bricks didn't disappear, but they were no longer carrying them. Sometimes freedom is not fixing everything at once. Sometimes freedom begins with deciding I'm not carrying this anymore. See, you don't break habits by just saying stop. And here is something practical for you. If you're trying to stop a habit, you need to replace it. Because habits usually serve a purpose. You procrastinate because avoiding the task temporarily reduces anxiety. You scroll because you're bored, you complain because it releases frustration. You overthink because it gives you the illusion of control. You people please because approval makes you feel safe. So simply saying stop doing that may not be enough. You have to ask what is this habit doing for me? And then what healthier habit can do the same job. See, instead of scrolling when you're stressed, take a walk. Instead of complaining, journal the problem and identify one action you can take. Instead of saying, I can't do this, say I don't know how yet. Instead of waiting until you feel motivated, commit to five minutes. Instead of automatically saying yes, say let me think about it. Small changes because sometimes we make a change too dramatic, small changes because sometimes we make a change too dramatic. We think changing our lives has to look like some giant movie screen. Music playing, tears falling, everything changing overnight. Sometimes change

Replace The Habit, Not Just Stop

SPEAKER_00 15:40

look like this. Going to bed thirty minutes earlier, putting your phone down, unfollowing an account, saying no, taking a walk, sending the email, making the appointment, writing one page, applying for one job, apologizing, setting one boundary, catching one negative thought before it becomes an entire negative day. Small changes create different patterns, and different patterns create different results. So stop romanticizing your bad habits and let's have a real conversation here, really quick. See, some of us have made personality traits out of unhealthy patterns. That's just how I am, they say. Be careful with that phrase because sometimes that's just how I am really means I've decided I don't want to do the work required to change. I'm always late. That's just me. I have a bad temper. That's just how I am. I overthink everything. That's just me. I disappear when things get hard. That's just how I am. No, that may be how you've been, but that does not have to be who you remain. You are allowed to evolve, you are allowed to mature, you are allowed to say that used to be me. One of the greatest signs of growth is being able to meet an older version of yourself and realize I don't live there anymore. So allow me to introduce you to the drop it test. And I'm going to give you a quick test. Take whatever habit or thought that came to mind during the pre-check and ask yourself these four questions. Question number one, is this helping me become who I want to be? Not is it comfortable? Not have I always done it, but is it helping me become who I say I want to become? Question number two. What is this costing

“That’s Just How I Am” Trap

SPEAKER_00 18:11

me? Is it costing me time, peace, confidence, money, relationships, opportunities, or energy? Question number three. What am I afraid will happen if I change? Because sometimes we hold bad habits because change feels uncertain. Question number four What will my life look like six months from now if I actually drop it? Think about that. Not six years, but six months. What changes if you stop procrastinating? What changes if you stop speaking negatively about yourself? What changes if you stop saying yes to everybody? What changes if you stop assuming the worst? What changes if you stop giving your energy to people who keep draining you? What changes if you finally drop it? So drop the language. One place to begin immediately is your language. Catch yourself when you say I can't. Catch yourself

The Drop It Test

SPEAKER_00 19:22

when you say I'm stupid, I'm terrible at everything, nothing ever works out, I'll never change, and replace it. Replace it with something honest but healthier. Not fake positivity, realistic growth. Instead of I can't try, this is difficult, but I can learn. Instead of I always mess up, try. I made a mistake. Now what can I learn? Instead of I'll never change, try. I haven't changed yet. See that one word matters yet. Y E T. I haven't figured it out yet. I'm not where I want to be yet. I haven't broken the habit yet, yet leaves room for growth, yet keeps the door open. So stop picking it back up. Stop picking it back up. Sometimes you drop something and then you pick it back up. You decide you're done worrying, then tomorrow you start worrying again. You decide you're done comparing, then you open social media, you decide you're done overthinking, then one small situation happens, and you're back in your head. That doesn't mean you fail. It means you're practicing. Growth is not I never struggle again. Growth is I recognize it faster, I catch myself sooner, I stay there for less time, I recover quicker. I make a different choice. So don't turn one bad day into a bad identity. Don't say, see, I knew I couldn't change. No. Drop it again and again and again until eventually your new response becomes your new habit.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

So let's go back to the beginning.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Let's go back to the beginning when I asked you what do you need to drop before it drops you?

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Now I want you to finish these three statements. I need to stop. What? What do you need to stop? I need to start. What? What do you need to start?

SPEAKER_00 22:04

And finally, I need to remind myself. What do you need to remind yourself? Maybe

Drop It Again Until It Sticks

SPEAKER_00 22:12

yours is I need to stop talking myself out of opportunities. I need to start trusting myself and I need to remind myself that growth takes time. Whatever it is, make it personal. Because awareness without actions is just information. And information alone does not change your life. Your next choice does. So here's what I want you to take away from today. Not everything you've been carrying deserves to go with you. Not every habit deserves another year. Not every thought deserves another day. Not every voice deserves another voice a vote. Some things need to be released, some things need to be challenged, some things need to be replaced. And some things you simply need to drop. So drop the procrastination, drop the constant comparison, drop the negative self-talk, drop the belief that you're too late. Drop the need to please everybody. Drop the excuse you've been recycling for the last five years. Drop the version of you that keeps trying to convince the new you to go backwards. Because the person you're becoming cannot keep carrying everything the person you used to be carried. So today, whatever is burning your peace, whatever is burning your confidence, whatever is burning your time, whatever is burning your future, you already know what to do. Drop it like it's hot and keep moving forward. So before we move forward, I want you to pause for just a moment. Take a breath. Wherever you are, whatever you're carrying, this next part is for you. Let's speak life over ourselves out loud if we can. Because what we say in this moment has the power to shift how we walk into the rest of our day. So let's begin with our affirmation. I am not defined by my past or limited by my mistakes. I am growing, learning, and becoming who I was created to be. I have values beyond titles, roles, and expectations. I choose honesty over fear and growth over comfort. I am allowed to change, heal, and evolve. I walk with purpose, clarity, and courage. I am becoming more aligned with my true self every day. And who I am is enough. So as we close today's episode, I want to thank you for taking this time for yourself. If something you heard inspired you, challenged you, or made you pause and reflect, please, please, I beg of you, don't keep it to yourself. Share this episode with someone who may need it. Invite them into

Affirmations And Share The Message

SPEAKER_00 25:51

the conversation. See, this podcast grows when we grow together. I cannot do this without you. See, we grow together through shared stories, honest reflections, and real connections. Every listen, every share, every conversation helps create a community. A community rooted in purpose, rooted in love, rooted in hope, rooted in faith, rooted in trust and truth. So until next time, keep reflecting, keep becoming, and remember, you matter. This is the Who Am I Podcast, and let's walk this journey together.