One day I woke-up and decided I was going to write my own story.
When I was younger, I lived under the false notion that life is what happens to us. My thinking was similar to having a victim mentality. It was one where the role I played in my own life was small. Life was happening to me rather than for me and I was at its mercy. My thinking was not only small, but it made me feel powerless. It took away my voice and left me feeling meaningless and lost.
Over time, thankfully I found that the more I own my role in life the more strength I have; the more ownership I possess. How is this possible? Life is certainly happening to us, but it’s our choice in our perspective that shapes our view and reaction to it. You are so much more than what you have become, and your potential is limitless.
Life is happening for you!
The more you realize you possess strength beyond your current situation the more you will learn to trust yourself. Regardless of what life hands you, you’ll choose to see the good. You’ll choose to make decisions that benefit you and those closest to you. Each and every experience you face can either break you or build you up, but the choice is yours. You choose your reaction. You choose what you do next.
I believe the most bitter people are the ones with the smallest view of themselves. They’ve chosen to give their inner strength away by passing their “misfortune” onto either someone else or the unfortunate circumstance. They say things like, “It’s their fault I lost my temper because they did this to me!” Or “If it wasn’t for what they did to me I wouldn’t be so angry right now!” No one can make you do anything. You choose what you say and what you do. You are the author of your own story.
What does this tell us? The state of our life is significantly more a factor of our perspective than our circumstance. Our internal state is not defined by our circumstances. It is defined by our interpretation of the circumstance. Isn’t this amazing? If we simply shift our focus, we can change our future!
This is what I call inner power! And the best part is, we all have this within us. We just need to own our inner strength and choose differently going forward.
Today as I write, I think about my current state in life. It’s what I helped to create. I played a role in shaping it. Now, regardless of how I feel about it, I can choose how I will live in this present moment. If I desire I different story for tomorrow, guess what? I can begin to develop that new story or chapter today. The life I am living now will not always be this way and the circumstances I am facing now will not always be. I have the power to choose my own reaction and future. I can and will write a beautiful story that fits exactly who and I what am today. I am the hero in my own story. And so are you!
What changes will you make to your story going forward?
Later that same day, the sun came out brightly, warming up the temperature outside. My daughter and I grabbed our items and headed for an adventure near the lake and jumped in our car. Once near the water, I took in my surroundings. The water glistened from the sunlight above and the waves rolled in and out as the lake filled with fishing boats. Although the water felt cold, my daughter walked in the waves happily while picking up rocks to either throw back in or to show me. I couldn’t help but watch her with love. Everything is fresh and new to her at this stage. She didn’t plan to be at the lake today and yet here she was. She didn’t choose to be with me that day or to be my daughter for that matter. And yet, here she was. So much of my daughter’s life was not her choice and yet she is smiling. She is taking in her world. She is learning from her circumstances and one day she will have a choice in how she views her past; in how she views life experiences that were outside of her control. I hope she chooses wisely. I hope she chooses to see her circumstances as a way forward and not as a stumbling block that is too great for her. She is mighty. She is lovely. And she is the hero in her own story.
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