We are storytellers. We talk about our problems, our joys, our concerns, the experiences in our lives and the meanings these experiences have for us. We like to think that in these stories we are telling the truth as it really is. But, what if the story we tell ourselves and others is our interpretation of the event? What if there is another story that can be told about the same event? What if we could change the story, and in doing so, change our lives?
Consider this example. A couple of years ago I went on a Canopy Zipline course in Costa Rica. It was one of the biggest courses in the world; 18 zips covering 3 miles high over the mountain tops of Costa Rica. I’m not a particularly athletic person so while I had some trepidation about doing this, I was also very excited about this new adventure. Another woman in my group, was dreading going at all. She continuously expressed her fear days before the event. She did not want to go but felt obliged because her son had dared her.
I loved the experience; she was terrified and never let go of her guide throughout the course. Two different stories, same event. Our stories determine how we experience the event, how we feel about it, how we will act.The story we tell ourselves becomes our experience of the event.
Holding on to our story as the “reality” of the event hampers us from learning and growing. We become inflexible, rigid in our thinking and unable to see other possibilities in our lives. If we want to change our lives and our destiny, we need to consciously change our story. When we change the way we feel and think, we change the way we behave. What would happen if instead of seeing an unsurmountable problem ahead, you saw a challenge? Instead of getting angry over a perceived slight you feel indifferent? Instead of seeing the end, you saw a new beginning?
Knowing we are the source of our own story allows us to create a more powerful story. We can change our lives to have more peaceful and joyful experiences in living.
Change your story, change your life.
Notice the feeling you are experiencing at the moment. What is another possible feeling?
What words are you using to describe the event? How are those words making you feel? What other words can you use?
Does the event seem familiar? Are you reacting to a memory of a past event not the event that is happening now?
Who else is in your story? What role have you given them? What role have you given yourself? Victim, hero, rescuer?
Where is the event taking place? Where are you? Can you see the event as an observer? What other possibilities can you observe?
“A picture can tell a thousand words, but a few words can change its story.” Sebastyne Young