Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are every living being’s undeniable rights. It seems simple enough… and yet we all know that it is anything but. Yes, we do manage to mess it up.
By that I mean that we tend to create drama in our own heads and tell ourselves limiting stories. We imagine all sorts of dire outcomes and consequences that may happen if we dare to act and or speak up in order to secure our peace of mind…our happiness.
I sometimes think that we give ourselves way too much importance. The reality is that life will go on with or without us, and more often than not, we are surprised when the world doesn’t end as we thought it would.
I experienced this a few years ago when I stepped out of my comfort zone in the pursuit of my own peace and happiness. I had to change the story I had told myself of how my life was supposed to be. The truth is that lives around me did change, and that it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life; but at the end, no one died and the world didn’t end. Surprise.
We do tell ourselves all kind of stories. Stories of defeat; stories of inadequacy; stories of lack; stories of inability or of impossibility. Stories that cage us.
The story you tell yourself will shape not only who you are but how you are perceived. It can spur you into action or forever prevent you from believing you can. Your story will either encourage or discourage you. But most definitely, that story also has the potential of empowering and freeing you.
Henry Ford said in his famous quote: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This simple quote is so wise and so profound…it is also the truth. No matter what, at the end, you are who you think you are.
So what story are you telling yourself? Are you your own best friend or your own worst enemy?
