Live A Better Life Newsletter
(Tools and Tips for Intentional Living)
Volume 2 Issue 6, June 22, 2010
Tell Yourself A Story
In This Issue:
Tell Yourself A Story
Recommended Resources
Contact Me
About this Newsletter
I received an email yesterday from an old acquaintance-friend, Sarah. It was a letter telling me all about how wonderful her life has been over the past year. A true adventure, the mythic hero’s journey filled with romance and castles, only without a wicked witch or any evil.
I confess, as I read her letter, I began to compare my life to hers. And mine was sorely lacking. I felt like someone kicked me in the gut and said “Hey, loser. You’re wasting your life away.” Lucky for me, my very close friend Cathleen quickly intervened. “Sarah’s life isn’t better than yours or mine, she’s just a great story teller. I’m sure she has problems like we do, only she just left those out.”
Then I wondered, what if I told the story of my own life over the past year in the same fashion that Sarah told hers? What would my story be?
So I grabbed a cup of blackberry tea, and sat down with my laptop and started typing.
My story turned out to be more of a classic adventure story. There was a big dream calling me forth, and risks that simply had to be taken. My version also had dragons and a wicked witch that I had to battle. Plus, there were rainbow sightings, and encounters with mentors to guide me. I must admit, this new telling of the story of my past year leaves me feeling excited by my own life, proud of what I’ve done and what I’ve survived, and even left me looking forward to my future adventures. This is a very different perspective on the same events that had me discouraged before. I didn’t alter the events, I just changed the story I told about them.
And I realized that is a fantastic tool to reframe your perspective on your own life – to move from feeling victimized and out-of-control – to seeing yourself as the hero, the one others find to be inspirational and brave and sure. Sarah has developed a skill for re-writing her own story in a way that fuels her confidence, and makes her powerful, successful. All the brain research, along with psychological studies over time, show that what we say about ourselves, to ourselves, is important. This form of storytelling that Sarah has developed, well that could benefit me as well. It is a skill I, too, can learn. Just as with any other skill, it simply takes practice and time.
What is an area of your life you feel particularly discouraged about? If you were to re-write your story, would it be? I challenge you to write your own story of your life over the past weeks, month, or perhaps year. And tell me what you discover along the way. Even better, share you story with others at my blog.
Warm regards,
Lori Howard
p.s. Post your thoughts below!
Would you like to just beef up the language in your resume to give your accomplishments greater impact? Pick up this f*r*e*e list of Action Verbs to beef up your resume and improve its effectiveness.
Or attend my next workshop and walk out with an updated resume for today’s job market for only $5: http://www.coachforabetterlife.com/workshops.html.
Also, I’m slowly migrating to a new website, check it out at www.unearthyourworth.com. Or follow me now on Twitter @lori_howard.
I welcome your feedback, comments and questions. Also, if you’re interested in contributing to this Newsletter, email me your submissions.
Tell me what you think about this newsletter by posting a comment below.
website: www.coachforabetterlife.com
blog: CoachforaBetterLife.wordpress.com
email: Lori@CoachforaBetterLife.com
twitter: @lori_howard
Click here to subscribe.
By subscribing to this newsletter, you will receive monthly tips, news, and information on how to live a more fulfilling life.
About this Newsletter
Copyright 2010 Lori Howard. All rights reserved.
Tags: appreciating life, Better Life, celebration, Design your Life, Empowerment, Enjoy Life, overcoming obstacles
Living a Better Life 
July 10, 2010 at 10:34 am
Lori, thank you for your kind comments on my blog. I love yours, too! You and I seem to have the same purpose, taking a slightly different approach, which is interesting to me. I’ll be visiting regularly. Best wishes 🙂
August 31, 2010 at 4:24 pm
[…] Living a Better Life Lori Howard’s Blog for CoachForABetterLife.com « Tell Yourself A Story (Newsletter Vol 2 Issue 6) […]
October 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm
Woah this kind of blog site is definitely excellent i love learning you. Continue being up the terrific work! You are aware of, many people feel the need close to because of this details, you might help them considerably.