The stories we create.
The stories we create become who we are. Our identity, our belief system, the way we see the world.
Sometimes we choose the stories we create. But most times, they are either a creation of our childhood or from a difficult time or episode we have had experienced.
In the last scenario, we end up creating these stories to protect us from having to go through that difficult situation again.
The challenge with stories, though, is that they don't evolve with time or with evidence.
For someone who believes that all dogs bite, the dogs that don't bite are either
"exceptions that need to be ignored" or "the ones that haven't bitten them yet".
The challenge with living such stories is that it creates a uni-dimensional life that stops us from accepting the good things that might come our way - love, happiness, friendship. When all we can see is danger, all we see is danger.
Changing our story is one of the most challenging thing we can do. But it begins with accepting that there's a story that needs changing.
A few good resources to start with if you want to see and change your stories:
- This blog from Seth:
- The Art of Possibility by Ben & Rosamund Zander
- Books on IFS therapy by Richard Schwartz - No Bad Parts, You are the one you've been waiting for.