We suffer because of the stories we tell ourselves.
When we are born, we see ourselves reflected in our parents or caregivers. We interpret their reactions to our behavior as an indication of our own self-worth and value, and we build our own identity based on that reflection. Later on, this identity is shaped by what our friends, partners or colleagues say or do. This is how we create our own story of who we are.
In reality, however, we are not the story we tell ourselves. The projections we thought were indicative of our self-worth are merely imperfect reactions of imperfect human beings to something that they observed in us. In fact, most of these reactions are not even reactions to something that we do or don’t do. These are reactions to the emotions that our actions trigger in people, spiced up by their own past inner hurts and traumas.
People's reactions actually have nothing to do with us!
And we build our own stories based on that?!
What a shallow base to build upon, don’t you think?
So, in this very moment, think about the stories you tell yourself. Think about who you are in these stories and how they make you feel. Do you feel empowered, free, joyful and abundant? Or do you feel deficient, insignificant, inadequate and lacking everything? What does your story tell about yourself?
Now ask yourself, what would you be without this story? What if you had amnesia and forgot everything you ever told yourself? How would you act? Who would you be?
What if you let the old story go and replaced it with a new story of who you are and what you can be?
How much more alive would you be? How much more loving? How much more caring? How much more joyful would you be?
Don’t you want to be this new person?
Realize that you and only you have the power to rewrite your old story. What stops you then?