The story you live and tell is the ongoing narrative of your life. It is how you connect the dots of the facts of experience. We tell a story as a way to make sense of things, including making sense of yourself.
You are the author of your story. As such you can edit and reinterpret the story you tell.
Like Victor Frankl, the possibilities are limitless as to finding meaning, purpose, and redemption even in stories of adversity.
The story you live and tell says a lot about your character, your values, and what is most important to you. You are the protagonist of your story. You determine the meaning of your existence by the shape of the web you weave, including which threads you choose and how you tie them together.
Your story is your subjective perception and representation of the experience of you, and it is how you share your identity with others.
The story of you is created by your ego and is hardwired in your brain. Since part of the job the ego is to be ever alert to potential threats to your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, you create a story about each new piece of sensory data you perceive in relation to who you are and what you want and need. In its attempts to protect you, the ego-filled brain alerts you with stories – but often these are less than fully true.
Thus be mindful of your story. Is the story you live the story you tell? Is the story you tell the one you live? Are you living the story you want — one you feel delighted to be living?
Are you aware of the story you tell yourself — you know, the story that trips you up in your head and interferes with your experience of others and your relationships with them?
You can transform the story in your head by rewiring the neuropathways to create new connections in your brain. The cultivation of a different story requires a mindfulness to what you perceive, a shift in your perspective, and a change in what you say and do. It requires connecting the dots differently or choosing carefully how you weave the threads.
It is important to remember you are NOT your story. You need your ego to navigate in this world. However, the truth of who you are is devoid of ego and is actually the spirit of you. It is when you step back from your ego that you can show up with full presence of your being and with full integrity.
Therefore, cultivate the story you want to live, and live the story you want to tell. Align your story with your truth, purpose, values and intention to generate a powerfully authentic presence.
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Dr. Cindy Hardwick is the Trusted Leadership Advisor, Consulting & Licensed Psychologist, and ICF Credentialed Coach who brings more than 37 years experience to the arena of individual and interpersonal transformation.
By integrating ancient philosophy with current research and best practices, Cindy serves as a facilitator of meaningful purpose and transcendence for individuals, interpersonal relationships, and workplace cultures. She is known for her nonjudgmental approach, her delightful intuition, and her gift of ideation.
Cindy brings her unique personal brand of Consulting and Coaching Psychology to those in positions of leadership and service to others. Her mission is to help you bring the best of who you are to your life and your work. Transcend ego in ways that let you create greater meaning and purpose in the story you live and tell.
Learn more about Cindy and get in touch with her at CynthiaHardwick.com.
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