Do you ever find yourself telling someone you’ve recently met the story of your life? You probably don’t think of it as a story, because to you it’s all factual. Truth is, we place a lot of interpretation on our life story. And when you remember how it was from the present day perspective, you often distort fact from interpretation. When you do tell your story, do you look at it and wonder if it’s the story you would have written for yourself? Do you ever wonder whose story you are living?
Ask yourself this question: “Am I living a life of my own design, following my passions and interests, or am I following my family, friends, or society, living someone else’s dreams?” If you now realize that you are not living your chosen life story, it is time to take a look at what you’d like to change. If you’ve been doing the same career or business, living the same lifestyle, keeping too busy to take time to observe your life and your feelings, it may be time to take a time out and see what’s really important to you.
You may have followed a path determined by others who influenced you early in life—teachers, parents, siblings, or peers. You may have done what was expected of you—getting a college degree, taking a job that fit your skills, climbing the corporate ladder, building a business, or staying at home to raise children. What might you have given up? A career that fully expressed who you are, creative pursuits, a story of your own making.
Writing a New Life Story
Why do so many people wake up one day and find they are not living their own story? Or they don’t wake up at all, but are feeling stuck and unfulfilled in their lives and don’t know exactly why. If any of this relates to how you are feeling, it’s not too late to write a new life story. You CAN create a life of joy, fulfillment, and passion by taking action in the direction of your dreams. It’s not too late to build a more rewarding life. You can start today.
What will it take for you to write a new life story? Imagine you are a writer and sit down with a pen and paper or in front of your computer. Start from where you are now and write about where you would like to go. Include relationships, health, finances, business, career, creative self expression, personal development, and whatever makes up the story of your ideal life. When you’ve written about the next one year or as far as you want to go, share your new story with someone you feel safe with. If you’re working with a coach, they can help you develop your new story.
The next step is to start living it. You will start finding people and opportunities being drawn to you, so you can live your ideal life story.
Photo by Janine
I like your focus on the word “chosen” – people forget that everything in life is a choice, right from the decision each day to continue to live. I also like the way you present the post as “writing your life story” which implies action and an awareness of the possibilities.
Well done!
What a wonderful exercise to do – write a new life story! I’m going to write mine in a minute and share it with my husband. It’ll be interesting to review it one year from now!
Evelyn
This is a wonderful concept. It would be great if everyone realized that we each have a choice to design our lives as we wish.
Thanks for this article.
What is interesting is that when a person starts to write something such as a life story, it tends to write itself. Doors open that couldn’t have been imagined if the story hadn’t been taken on. Just putting one thought down on the page attracts other thoughts, and so on…
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Oh, great recommendations and very valuable to write your story. I did this in an autobiography (a short presented version) and was very helpful to making me aware of what I would have written before hand and what just happened.
As you pointed out, there is much behind our choices and we should choose the life we would want written of ourselves! Thanks for sharing, great post!
I think this is a great idea. Writing your story for the next year or however long can help you set goals to make that a reality.
I know this is kind of a flippant comment, but I’ve never heard of somebody suggesting another person should write a story about what they want their life to be like, then act out the story to make it come true. That seems like a way, way more effective way to plan out a goal or your life than to simply brainstorm out your ideas on paper.
Methinks I’ll be doing a little writing tonight! :P
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Too few people take time to script there own success and future. Well written Peter! ;-)
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Love this post and it’s very timely since I just did my life coaching call yesterday and this was the exact subject that we talked about. I’d written out a story last year of where I would be today and I have to say that it really is amazing how powerful this process. One last thing I would add is that the story should be written in the present tense and should be read every single day when you wake up and every day before you go to to sleep. Replace affirmations with your story, because it’s more or less the same thing. The other thing is to stick with doing it for at least 90 days and keep note of evidence that all of it is happening,
Write a new life story and then act it out, that’s a great idea! Brilliant post, thanks
Great article! I firmly believe that writing your own story will open up new opportunities and bring what you desire into your life! So often we are living other people’s stories without even realizing it!
that’s a really inspiring post David, well written , thank u :)
Inspiring. Thanks.It makes me want to change the page my life is on and start writing my own next chapter :)
For a time I’ve been living someone else’s story but now I’m happy to be writing my own. It’s not easy though but a lot more rewarding that having to wake-up every morning dragging yourself to do something you know you are not passionate about.
Thanks for this inspiring post David.
Charlie
I love the idea of writing a new story for yourself. I find the story I tell myself is not one that someone else created for me but one that my mind created a long time ago. I get stuck in habitual repeat of what my mind likes to tell me I am or used to be which is nothing but a false story which feeds delusions.
Thanks for sharing such a great post.
A great post indeed! Growing up in such a contagious society, one easily lose himself in the definition and standard of the world. As a result most people don’t even know their true identity let alone living it. It is up to us to release ourselves from the clutches of our societies and start living our true stories.
We all have our unique stories that we are brought here to tell, don’t rob us by being settling for a supporting role while you are created to be a leading act!
Hi David.. Thank you for your for your post. I got a lot out of reading it.
I completely agree that most of us tend to live a life scripted by society which has very little to do with our own natural inclinations.
I have found that keeping a diary significantly helps to unravel these underlying mores that society has ingrained in us since childhood.
Just the act of writing/typing things down seems to slow the mind. It engages a different part of the brain which helps me to realise the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ I do in my day to day dealings.
I use the DayOne (Diary) App on my mac which syncs with my iPhone etc. I recommend it.