Stories

My dear friend Eric commented on my previous post:

“… I would like you to talk more about fiction. The stories we tell about ourselves play a huge role in determining the courses of our lives whether you regard the stories as fiction or not.

I’ve been having conversations about this topic within my family. Some stories like “I’m not good at art” become self-fulfilling prophecies.”

 

Thanks to his kind request, I revisited my very first post on this site and have decided to repost it here to begin the conversation:

What is your self story?

“I am a writer. I am a sister. I am an engineer. I am an introvert. I am cautious. I am considerate. I love chocolate. I am scared of heights.  I have trouble with relationships. I am not creative. I have writer’s block.”

Some things are titles, some are roles, some are long held beliefs about ourselves, our capabilities, our talents, our strengths, our weaknesses, some shed light on places where we are open, and others on places where we are closed.

I am.

I have.

I like.

I don’t like.

My talent is…

I can’t.

I won’t.

For all of those things that limit our thinking, keep us still, keep us in place, what if, what if for one moment we did not Know them to be true. What if we spent a moment allowing ourselves to think and feel differently, to play with the idea that maybe it has changed, or maybe it no longer fits who we are or who we are becoming.

Imagine for a moment you take all of that self limiting stuff…

I can’t read music.

…what if you added the word “yet” to the end?

See what possibilities open up?

Or take each of those things we say we are or aren’t, like, “I am not creative”.

Think of the power in the following question:

Is this still true?

 

In my next post I’ll continue this theme, because I am all tangled up in identity stuff right now, so there is plenty of fodder. Thanks Eric!