10 Fresh Mindset Habits to Finally Remove the Stone in Your Shoe

Do small problems keep nagging at you like a stone in your shoe?

Most of us tolerate emotional discomfort instead of dealing with it.

So, what's the stone in your shoe?

Now, how did this idea for a blog come about, and how does it help me? Stick with me here, and I will explain.

One of my passions is running. I love getting lost in my thoughts and pounding the pavement—the longer, the better. I have been fortunate to run many ultramarathons, and this is where my pebble metaphor came to be. I'm sure it's not original, but it's my take.

Based on my own experiences and having watched endless documentaries about long-distance running, I have found that even after endless training, selecting the right apparel, and executing a perfect nutritional plan, the one thing that causes the greatest impact is blisters, one caused by unwanted stones. It is these little, seemingly insignificant objects that bring an athlete to their knees and become a tremendous hindrance.

This blog starts by exploring the stone that is impacting and stopping you from crossing your life finish line.

So, let's keep cracking with the stone story.

You might not know what’s holding you back, but you can certainly feel it. A dull resistance, a nagging discomfort and just a plain bloody nuisance.

You don’t remember how it got there. Maybe it slipped in unnoticed during childhood. Maybe it showed up when someone criticized you, or when you failed and promised yourself to never try like that again. Wherever it came from, it’s there now.

A small mental pebble that you’ve tried to ignore. You’ve learned to adjust your steps around it. You convince yourself it’s fine. But every now and then, usually when you’re close to doing something bold, it shifts and stings.

The stone in your shoe is a mindset block. It’s what stops you from fully showing up, trusting yourself, and walking freely in the direction of your potential. It may be fear, doubt, comparison, perfectionism, shame, or a story you’ve carried for far too long.

The truth is that you can’t run your race with a stone in your shoe.

These 10 fresh mindset habits will help you slow down, take off the shoe, and finally remove what’s been holding you back. You don’t have to walk with pain anymore.

1. Notice the stone

Learning to stop pretending you're fine and that a stone actually exists is the first brave and important step. Most people walk through life pretending they’re okay while quietly adjusting around their pain. That low hum of resistance? That weight in your chest when you speak up? That’s the stone.

The habit here is noticing, without brushing it off. Instead of saying "I'm just tired," admit, "I'm avoiding something." Pay attention to where you hesitate, shrink, or feel friction. Your body and behavior will often show you the stone before your mind can name it. Get curious about discomfort rather than being distracted by busyness. Noticing is the first act of self-trust.

2. Name the stone

It is time to get honest about what's really bothering you. Understanding what your stone is and the impact that it is having on your health, mentality and quality of life.

Once you’ve noticed the discomfort, the next habit is naming it. Vague feelings have power. When you don't name the stone, it controls you. But the moment you say, "This is fear of being judged," or "This is old perfectionism showing up again," the grip weakens.

Naming the stone brings clarity and helps you to find the right strategy for pulverizing the stone.

You stop fighting ghosts and start addressing something real. You might journal it, speak it aloud, or name it in conversation. The more specific you get, the more power you reclaim. It’s not just "stress" or "anxiety", it’s fear of failing in front of others, fear of not being enough, fear of being seen. Get clear, get specific, and get your power back.

3. Stop blaming your steps

It is vital to understand that your mindset, not your circumstances, is the real issue that needs to be addressed. It's tempting to blame the road: your job, your family, your timing, or your luck.

But blaming your outer world means giving up your inner power. The stone in your shoe is an inside job. The habit here is radical ownership. It requires asking yourself some honest and raw questions: If my mindset changed, would my experience change? If I believed in my worth, would I respond differently? Blaming the road keeps you stuck. Owning the stone starts your healing.

This doesn’t mean ignoring hard realities, but it means recognizing that your mindset shapes how you meet them.

Shift your focus from what’s happening to you to what’s happening inside you. Remember, whilst you don’t have total control of circumstances, you do have far greater control over how you can respond to them.

4. Ditch the denial

Trust me, I have been there during a run. I know the stone is there, but I try the old ‘mind over matter’ strategy and try to ignore it. However, by ignoring your discomfort, all it does is delay your growth. Denial is comfort with a price tag. You can pretend the stone isn't there, and you'll even convince yourself that the limp is just how you walk. But growth demands truth.

The habit here is facing your discomfort with compassion and honesty. Eventually, the pain becomes too much to ignore. The stone shifts in just the wrong way, and suddenly, you’re stopped in your tracks.

That’s your crossroads. You can choose to keep adjusting, or you can choose to pause and finally remove the pain. Discomfort is the alarm clock for change. Stop hitting snooze. Start listening. Ask yourself what truth have you been avoiding that’s ready to be seen?

5. Face the fear

Discomfort often hides deeper insecurities. Most stones are actually fear in disguise. Fear of being seen. Fear of being rejected. Fear of being too much or not enough.

The habit here is facing the fear, not with aggression, but with presence. When you feel resistance, don’t bolt. Breathe into it. Ask, "What am I afraid might happen if I move forward?" Then ask, "What might happen if I do it anyway?"

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to move with it, not around it. You’ll find that most fears shrink when they’re no longer chased or avoided. Shine a light on the fear, and you'll see it's smaller than you thought.

6. Challenge your old shoes

Now is the time to challenge habits and beliefs that no longer fit. Sometimes, it’s not just the stone but the shoe itself. Like a trusty pair of running shoes, whilst they may have served you well over many miles, at some stage, the tread wears down, and they start to do more harm than good. Trust me, I know. I have held onto many a pair of shoes well past their expiry date and endured many injuries that could have been avoided by simply changing my shoes.

The routines, roles, or beliefs you once relied on may now be too tight, too worn, or simply wrong for who you’ve become. The habit here is regularly evaluating what you’ve outgrown.

Ask yourself: What thoughts or behaviors did I adopt just to survive? What beliefs once protected me but now limit me?

Comfort zones are built for safety, not expansion. The pain becomes a signal that you’ve stayed too long in something that no longer serves you. Let it be the moment you upgrade not just your path, but your shoes.

7. Pause and create space to understand what needs to change

When the stone finally brings you to a stop, don’t rush to fix it. Pause. The habit here is reflection. Make time to understand what’s been hurting and why. What is this pain trying to teach me? What parts of me have I been ignoring to keep going?

Stillness is where insight lives. Instead of leaping into action, sit with yourself. Sometimes the act of stopping is the most powerful step forward. The stone forced you to pause. Let that pause become a pivot.

8. Choose courage over coping

Now is the time to stop adapting to the pain. At some stage, you simply have to say enough is enough and do something about the stone.

Sure, you’ve likely developed clever ways to cope and found ways to walk without truly feeling the stone. Maybe you hustle harder, stay quiet, avoid risks, or distract yourself with constant doing. But coping keeps you stuck.

The habit here is choosing courage over coping. Courage says: I’m not going to walk around the pain anymore—I’m going to deal with it. It may feel risky, exposed, or clumsy at first, but freedom lives on the other side of discomfort. Instead of coping through, start clearing space for truth, healing, and aligned action. You were made to walk free, not wounded.

9. Take the stone out

Now is the time to take small, uncomfortable actions that lead to freedom. Now comes the shift. Taking the stone out doesn’t mean eliminating fear forever, but learning to respond differently.

The habit here is choosing small, brave actions that interrupt your old loops. Say the thing you usually silence. Set the boundary you usually avoid. Show up when you’d normally disappear. It may be awkward. It may sting. But every intentional step builds a new path. You’re not broken, so don’t overthink the situation. You’ve just been walking with a stone. And every time you choose truth over comfort, you begin walking differently.

10. Walk freely again

By taking out the stone, you are free to step into a life without the drag. When the stone is gone, it feels strange at first. Light. New. Exposed. You’ll want to double-check that it’s really out.

The habit here is walking forward without dragging old pain behind you. Trust that you’ve done the work. Let yourself move without bracing. This is your freedom. It is earned, not given. The limp becomes a lesson, not an identity. And if a new stone shows up, you’ll recognize it faster. You’ll have the tools to remove it sooner. Keep walking. You’re no longer carrying what once held you back.