WHAT STORIES DO YOU TELL YOURSELF?

WHAT STORIES DO YOU TELL YOURSELF? We all have a magnitude of stories we have designed and accepted for our lives. Some stories started when we were kids, some we created as adults, but at every stage of life we have stories. Some of these stories have actually developed into a belief structure. Author Eckhart Tolle wrote “Every complaint is a little story the mind makes up that you completely believe in.” Think back to the weekend that just passed. What did you complain about? What stories did you tell yourself? Do you know why you complained about it? Do you know when that type of complaining started? Let me give you a couple big picture complaints, maybe you can relate to a couple: “IDK, that’s just the way I am.” “I can’t do that, this is all I know.” “Well, I’ve never done that before so I don’t know where to start.” “I don’t know anyone that has every done it.” “I’m not like the people that succeed in that industry. I wasn’t born with those skills.” These are all doubts, they are complaints, and the only thing they say about us is that we are human. We all have self-doubt, I sure as hell know I do. But the next time you think one of these complaints or something similar, think “Why do I belief that?” Question why you have a certain belief structure. Are you sure it’s true? Or could it be a lie? Could it be a story you have told over and over without any evidence? If I tell myself that “I’m not a good writer or I have never written before so ...” what I am really doing is saving myself from the disappointment of maybe being bad at writing. All the sudden, I’m not doing something I want because I am afraid I might not succeed at it. My brain has developed a BELIEF STRUCTURE that is preventing me from writing. But by asking questions, I am able to question my belief structure, and then change it into one that says “while I’ve never written much before, I am capable of doing it.” We can shift our belief structures so they they serve us, not prevent us from achieving what we want. Instead of questioning the world, question your beliefs about the world. Question your belief structure, and develop an attitude that serves you and your goals, rather than finding areas in your life to complain about that inevitable make you a prisoner to inaction. So once again, I ask you... WHAT STORIES DO YOU TELL YOURSELF? 10.23.17 - Phillip Andrew