Whose Story Are You In?

It’s easy to say “be yourself,” but quite another thing to know who you truly are. You may use your name, relationship status, career, ethnicity…or you may break down the description into behaviors. We all have many stories we use to define ourselves.

People I coach often say “I’m a person who—

• is always late
• is disorganized
• can’t catch up
• procrastinates
• has a million projects and never finish any
• can’t ever find my keys

You get the drift.

It’s important to become aware of the story you tell about yourself. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” So, if you’re caught in the vicious circle of “I can’t,” “it’s too hard,” “I don’t have time,” and so on; is that really the story you want to define you?

I read about a “virtuous circle,” in which you focus on the positive and change to a self-affirming mindset. Imagine how much nicer it would be to be “caught” in a circle of “I can,” “it’s easy,” “I have all the time I need.”

The life you lead is based on the stories you tell about yourself. Granted some of the stories may have been learned over the years, but if the story doesn’t give you the life you want, you get to rewrite it.

-Sydney Metrick