Before I wrote stories, I told them. In elementary school, I changed the ending while retelling ghost stories to avoid a deadly demise. Hours were spent in my Grandparent’s backyard imagining fantastical characters, grand adventures and heroic feats acted out in worlds of wonderment.
It was inside the written stories, though, where I found the key to unlocking the most valuable lessons.
You see, I started writing poetry at age 12. Or should I say, the poems started writing me. I had a deep desire to be heard, express my feelings and share insights. In my 30s, I began rereading my poems once a year. This annual ritual wasn’t about living in the past. To the contrary, it provided an opportunity to reflect on where I’d been, acknowledge how far I’ve come and see things differently. The written poems were filled with perspectives that sometimes literally changed before my eyes.
Our reality is shaped by the perceptions we hold. Our perceptions are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves.
The most important story is the one you believe.
However, every story has many sides.
1. The facts.
2. What we think happened.
3. What others think happened.
4. What we think it means - the stories we tell ourselves about why/what happened.
5. The intentions/agendas behind the actions/reactions of everyone involved.
6. How we choose to remember what happened - victory, lesson, tragedy, etc.
Dozens of things happen every day. Often, we base whether our day was good or bad by the stories we tell ourselves about what we believe happened.
When we are able to step back and look at what happened from a different perspective, we are able to re-solve the puzzle by re-membering the pieces and re-write the True story in our mind.
Just as forgiving doesn’t make what happened OK, re-membering doesn’t excuse bad behavior or trivialize your feelings. Intentions, like actions, speak louder than words. Listen to your gut and trust your instincts above the words you hear. If someone continues to rationalize, apologize or deny repeat offenses, they aren’t sorry they are manipulating.
Likewise, this is not a license to dwell. To find and seek the Truth is the goal. By separating facts from feelings, we are better able to focus on what happened, learn and hopefully see more clearly it in the future. Re-solving and re-membering is a process and some stories take longer than others to re-write. It’s a process that requires courage, patience and honesty.
For more insights, ideas and inspirations for sharing your story, visit http://www.1bluecube.com.
It was inside the written stories, though, where I found the key to unlocking the most valuable lessons.
You see, I started writing poetry at age 12. Or should I say, the poems started writing me. I had a deep desire to be heard, express my feelings and share insights. In my 30s, I began rereading my poems once a year. This annual ritual wasn’t about living in the past. To the contrary, it provided an opportunity to reflect on where I’d been, acknowledge how far I’ve come and see things differently. The written poems were filled with perspectives that sometimes literally changed before my eyes.
Our reality is shaped by the perceptions we hold. Our perceptions are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves.
The most important story is the one you believe.
However, every story has many sides.
1. The facts.
2. What we think happened.
3. What others think happened.
4. What we think it means - the stories we tell ourselves about why/what happened.
5. The intentions/agendas behind the actions/reactions of everyone involved.
6. How we choose to remember what happened - victory, lesson, tragedy, etc.
Dozens of things happen every day. Often, we base whether our day was good or bad by the stories we tell ourselves about what we believe happened.
When we are able to step back and look at what happened from a different perspective, we are able to re-solve the puzzle by re-membering the pieces and re-write the True story in our mind.
Just as forgiving doesn’t make what happened OK, re-membering doesn’t excuse bad behavior or trivialize your feelings. Intentions, like actions, speak louder than words. Listen to your gut and trust your instincts above the words you hear. If someone continues to rationalize, apologize or deny repeat offenses, they aren’t sorry they are manipulating.
Likewise, this is not a license to dwell. To find and seek the Truth is the goal. By separating facts from feelings, we are better able to focus on what happened, learn and hopefully see more clearly it in the future. Re-solving and re-membering is a process and some stories take longer than others to re-write. It’s a process that requires courage, patience and honesty.
For more insights, ideas and inspirations for sharing your story, visit http://www.1bluecube.com.