Are You Living Your Life, Or Your Story? (VIDEO)

Are You Living Your Life, Or Your Story? (VIDEOS)

The story of Juaquin Hawkins's life changed in a single day, when he suffered a stroke and could no longer play professional basketball for the NBA.

Hawkins was able to physically heal from the stroke, but had not psychologically healed from the crisis. The story he was telling himself -- and that he and his family were living -- became: If I'm not a basketball player, I'm nothing.

"That breakthrough moment is when you find yourself changing your story," says Tony Robbins. "In life there are events and there is the story of the event. And the story we come up with can either empower us or disempower us."

The best way to break out of your story, he says, is to get yourself to do something that your story says you can't.

In episode three of "Breakthrough" (watch the full episode here), Robbins helps Hawkins change his perception and radically rewrite his story. He sent Hawkins to live in a Figi village with no phones or electricity, where they sleep on the floor and perform hard manual labor for a day's meal.

Even without a personal coach or tropical resort, you can apply this basic strategy to your life: overcome your self inflicted limitations by changing the story you tell yourself. It may be up to you to attempt something you never thought possible. Or maybe it means listening to the encouragement of friends and family, rather than shutting them out behind the echo of "I can't."

"I was thinking about all the negative things then, but now I'm thinking about nothing but what I can do for my future," Hawkins says. "I can't even wait to get up in the morning."

We hope Juaquin and Kim's happy ending will inspire you to rewrite your story, to get the life you want and deserve.

Tony Robbins explains the strategies behind episode 3 of "Breakthrough":

Juaquin Hawkins talks about where he is today, a year after shedding his story of failure and resentment:

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