How Do You Tell the Story of Your Life?

Ok, this might get a little trippy, so hold onto something!

I want you to think back to one of your most embarrassing high school memories. You know, the one that makes you want to hide under the couch, even though it’s been years since it happened. Ok, got it?

What if I told you that your memory of that event might not have been as bad as you remember it? Actually, it might have only been a fraction as embarrassing as it is in your memory. You might scoff and say that you remember it as clear as glass. But the reality could be entirely different.

Ask a Friend

If you asked your friends that were there about this horrible, terrible event that makes you well up in tears at the very thought, there is a good chance that they will look at you blankly and say, “Huh? I don’t remember that.”

Just imagine! That memory that causes you so much pain has been forgotten by everyone who was there to witness it! That makes you wonder, if it’s been forgotten by everyone but you, then why does that memory still cause you such embarrassment?

It’s Just a Story

It’s because it’s a story that we tell ourselves. That’s all that memories are: stories in our own heads. And, like many people do when they are telling a story, we exaggerate things. We don’t mean to, we aren’t “lying” to ourselves, but we do fill in the blanks without meaning to. These unintentional exaggerations often make embarrassing or happy stories worse or better than they actually happened. It’s like playing a game of “telephone” with yourself in your own head.

Seriously, try comparing memories with a good friend of an event that you were both at a few years before. My money says that your memories will be completely different, even though you were both there to witness what happened.

But What Does This Mean?

This raises an incredible possibility. As human beings, we are the narrators of our own life. That little voice in your head, every single second of the day, is telling you the story of what’s happening around you. So, this makes you wonder… if we are telling our own story, then why are we so often the villain in it?

We beat ourselves up constantly. We say that we aren’t good enough, or that not enough people like us, or that we can’t reach the level of success that we want. We are so hard on ourselves! When most people tell the story of their life, it’s a tragedy. But remember what I said earlier about how unreliable our memories are?

Think back to the embarrassing story we were talking about earlier. Now, consider that no one but you remembers it. Now, suppose that you’ve probably unintentionally embellished the story over the years in your own head. Logically, if no one else remembers it and it probably wasn’t all that bad to begin with, then why are you telling the story to yourself like it was the worst thing that ever happened to you?

Own the Story of Your Life!

This is what it means to OWN the story of your life. It’s your story and you can tell it however you like. Imagine if, instead of beating yourself up like a villain in your story, that you built yourself up as a hero? Imagine telling yourself that you’re more than good enough, that people love being around you, and that you are going to be a huge success! What makes that story any less legitimate than the negative one that you used to tell? Nothing, that’s what!

So, reframing and owning the story of your life only requires a few little adjustments. Whenever you are in a situation where you start to beat yourself up, decide to change the narrative and tell a positive story instead. This will take a lot of effort at first, I’m not going to lie. But after a while, that little negative voice that chimes in with negative thoughts is going to start getting quieter.

Because here is the reality: your story isn’t negative. You are NOT the villain; you are the hero! That’s what it means to own your story, and that’s what I’m going to be teaching you in the Time to Thrive Group Coaching Program.

In this program, you’re going to discover a tribe of people who are just like you; people who are working to reclaim the story of their lives. With their support, you will be able to leave behind all of those negative memories that are nothing more than nasty stories that you tell yourself over and over again. Instead, you will be able to confidently claim your life, knowing that the story you tell from this point forward will be one full of hope, drive, and power!

If you want in, it’s easy! Just visit this page to sign up. Or, if you’d like to learn a bit more about the program first, you can join my mailing list at the bottom of that page for a taste of what you can find in the Time to Thrive program!