What’s your story?

Apr 15, 2012 Features / Columnists, Food For Thought

---

 

Do you know that you create the drama of your life at every moment?  With every thought you create, every action you choose and decision you make, you are totally responsible for the drama and the ‘storyline’ you create of your own life.  With this fact in hand, it proves that we are also responsible for changing that narrative, by transforming one thought at a time!
In life there are many characters and they are living out their ‘fantasy’ so to speak.  Let’s look at a few to get an idea of this concept of the drama of life.
There are the hero’s – the Superman and Superwoman’s of our planet!  They are constantly ‘rescuing’ someone and always in ‘action’!  They like to jump in and give solutions to everyone else’s problems.  They are so busy relieving others that they don’t have time to look at their own lives.  But that’s fine, because their joy comes from ‘fixing’ other people and their problems.
Then there are those who like to be rescued!  The Cinderella’s of the world – the victims, the poor me.  These characters almost purposely put themselves in abysmal situations, only to be freed.  It is not so much the freedom they seek, but they thrive on the attention that someone gives.  They wait for ‘Prince Charming’ to scoot them away from the ‘wicked sisters’ and all the mundane stuff they have to deal with.
Then there are the firefighters – those who are always putting out the fires.  There is a saying that when you have a hammer in your hand then everything in the world seems like a nail!  In fact, firefighters almost always depend on hunting out the fires of the world – for that’s where they get their adrenaline rush.  They can also travel to remote parts of the world to seek out and rescue the needy – whether it be street children or some endangered species.
The Romeo and Juliet’s are the romantics.  They always seem to be somewhere else, with someone else, fictitious or real!  They are so busy trying to find their beloved and that ‘balcony’, that they miss out on all the other lovely people wanting to befriend them.  They fill every scene of their drama with passion – every flower, candle and piece of music plays on their heartstrings and carries them away to distant lands.
And you have to laugh at the exaggerators!  Everything that happens to them is a big screen drama!  Their house got burnt down – well almost, the candle burnt the tablecloth!  They nearly lost their job, but then… they managed to convince their boss with their confidence and powers of persuasion.  They almost won the lottery, but missed by three digits!
The comedians or humorists are the most light-hearted.  They laugh at everything – even death!  For laughter is their means of survival.  They mean no harm in their humour, for that is the way they deal with life’s challenges.
There are also many other characters: the complainers for whom nothing goes right, royalty without the blue blood, the perfectionists who are always fussing over small things, and the ‘garbage collectors’ who go around collecting useless information and gossip from one area and pass it onto another!
The point is, whatever story you end up telling yourself that becomes your reality.  And after several repetitions of that narration, it feels as if the script cannot be changed.   But that need not be the case.  The scripts we have chosen, on the whole, are a survival mechanism.  It’s what we learnt as kids.  If Dad spoke loudly to resolve a situation (and it worked!) then I learn to do the same.  If mom went quiet to keep the peace in the house, then I also learn to do the same.
Changing the script is like changing a belief system.  Increase your self-worth and you will change your inner self-talk – the language and tone you use towards yourself.  As you develop more self-respect and kindness towards yourself, you will begin to change your response and reaction to the world around you and in turn life will reward you for the positive energy you emit.
If you want to change roles on the drama stage, it is absolutely possible to do so – no one needs to stay in roles that don’t ‘fit’ them.  If you are unhappy with the way your life is going, begin by creating a vision and an outline of what you would like to see more of in your life.  Focus on that daily and nurture that vision.  As you change, the world around you will begin to change.
It’s time… to look at the drama of your life and ask yourself, what story, or whose story, you are living.  If it’s all happy and healthy, you need not worry.  If it can use some improvement, then take a look at your self-talk.  Make it more respectful and positive.  Sit down and rewrite your new script; choose your lines carefully.  And remember, you are not simply the actor, but the director of your own life – you hold the pen of the future in your own hands.

---

---