What's Your Story
It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of the mind and self. They become part of you by changing you. — Ben Okri in Birds of Heaven
We all carry many stories with us. I’ve been thinking about the stories I tell myself and some I share wondering how authentic they are. The first time you join a group, people ask for an abbreviated version of your story through a brief introduction. I listen to others and I share my story. Once I determine if the group is safe, trustworthy, and confidential I’ll share more of my story.
I also think of the larger story, the collective story in which we are all very active either consciously or unconsciously. What kind of stories are we creating for future generations about the times in which we are living now. Of course, they are different based on our varying perspectives and according to Joanna Macey, there is a story in which we are all participating consciously or not—
And you know your lives are intricately interwoven as nerve cells in the mind of the great being. . . . Out of that vast net you cannot fall. . . . No stupidity or failure or cowardice can ever sever you from that living web.
We receive stories from lots of different places: our parents, schools, churches, governments, friends, and family members. They may or may not be true about who who we really are. Often the stories become ingrained in our psyches long before we have the maturity or skill to sort through them all. It’s when we begin to question some of those stories and how they fit into our unique vision of life that we come up against some pushback in interpreting the original sources. It’s at that time that we can choose to live someone else’s story or our own.
I received a story from a dance teacher that I would never dance professionally. Although at the time I didn’t recognize the peculiarities of that statement I just knew it conflicted with my parent’s story for me “you can do whatever you want.”
When I saw the Royal Winnipeg Ballet live, I knew I had to pursue my story of dancing professionally regardless of what a teacher told me. Overcoming his story for me became the catalyst not only for dancing professionally, but for ongoing creativity and energy directed toward other kinds of movement explorations and teaching dance to a variety of populations. This story is driven by seeking fulfillment in life’s purpose, generated by something beyond me; not by power, recognition, or fame. Taking responsibility for my personal story has proven to be adventurous.
According to David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D
Our Higher Self, which we might say is the composite of our higher feelings, has almost unlimited capabilities. It can create employment opportunities. It can create the situations for the healing of relationships. . . . As we stop giving authority and energy to all the negative programs that stem from our own thinking, we stop giving our power to others and begin to own it back again. This results in a rise in self-esteem, the return of creativity, and the opening of a positive vision of the future that replaces fearfulness.
This sounds like an amazing way to live. And with a little experimentation we can identify the higher authority within ourselves and tap into that knowledge for our own personal growth and probably release a lot of negative emotions in the meantime.
In the beautifully illustrated book, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, we learn of one person’s commitment to celebrating nature
You must do something to make the world more beautiful.
It may not be a garden that is your calling. It may be creating art, teaching workshops on anti-racism, health and wellness, or being an activist for climate change and other forms of social change. What matters is that we tap into that higher self, what is ours to do and be in the world and move forward unstoppable with vigor of bringing what is needed to life, creating a whole new self and investing ourselves in life projects that aid in living totally full and abundant.
In Power vs. Force, Dr. Hawkins again references the importance of our own clear vision in affecting the world.
We change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we have become.
What’s your story? Does it reflect you or someone else’s story about you? It’s okay if you are satisfied with that choice, but if not, knowing that you have a choice, you can choose differently and become who we are meant to be.