The Stories We Tell About Ourselves
I have had great fun in referring to myself as a walking Venn diagram. For those who don’t know what a Venn diagram is, it’s a graphic that uses overlapping circles or other shapes to illustrate the logical relationships between two or more sets of items. The one that I use for myself, posted above, shows that at the heart center of the 3 “career paths” I walk is the ancient Greek maxim, “Know Thyself.” There are actually 2 other very important aspects of each path that live in that heart center 1.) deep listening and 2.) storytelling. Of course, all three of these elements are completely related. We know ourselves and each other more deeply through the power of storytelling.
Humans are wired for storytelling. Stories help us to make sense of our world, of our reality, of our memories. They help us to feel connected in our personal relationships and in our communities. Stories are what our lives are made of. Stories can unite us, inspire us and expand us, opening our hearts to empathy, compassion and a sense that we are not alone.
I have come to understand that there are two types of stories we tell.
- Stories told with the power to transform us.
- Stories retold with the power to trap us, to hold ourselves back.
Think about it. When you tell a story about yourself does it feel true? Like it’s yours to tell? That you’re willing to be honest and vulnerable?
Or does it feel like a story that you’ve inherited from someone else? Something someone else made up about you and then you adopted. Do you feel trapped by it? Held in self-defeat?
I’ll give an example from my life. I was always told as a child and young person that I was overly sensitive. As an empath, a preternaturally communicative and emotionally intelligent, creative person, this was true. However, the story and its intent turned these qualities into ones I was to hide, of which to be ashamed. The story I told myself was that I couldn’t share this part of myself, the sensitive, overly emotional, and unlovable part. I held myself back, trapped by this story and its implications.
Of course, now I know that these qualities are my unique magic and most desirable qualities. When I share that early story truthfully and vulnerably, it’s become a transformational story of empowerment.
Do your circumstances in life shape the stories you tell yourself?
OR
Do the stories you tell about yourself shape the circumstances of your Life.
Change your story and you change your life.
What stories do you tell about yourself and your life? And do they have the power to transform?
#TheEdgeofEveryday #TransformationalStorytelling #KnowThyself #ImpactfulCommunication
