your life as a storyteller

Photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash

unpolished thoughts 2/7/2019

What if your very own life story was filled with the kind of lessons that every person needed to learn?

What if you knew that was true?

After all, you were once a young person facing unique and bewildering circumstances without guidance.

You made it through.

You fell in love once, deeply and genuinely, only to discover later how completely you had been mistaken by illusions.

But you’re still here.

You developed a passion that wouldn’t leave you alone. Even though you didn’t know quite what to do with it at first, you responded to its persistence with curiosity each time it showed its face. Now you have a unique knowledge that wasn’t formed in school, which no one else you know possesses.

Have you thought about how cool that is?!

You were wounded, many times, but not defeated. Now, as a consequence, there are particular wounds that you recognize more readily than others. As a result, you can empathize with certain people that others don’t understand.

Your circumstances are unique, yet the lessons you’ve learned could be beneficial to so many others besides yourself.

How often do you share what you’ve learned?

Perhaps the suffering of a friend reminds you of a memory. You tell him a story that provides a sorely needed perspective he couldn’t have accessed without you.

Maybe you teach a child how to perform a puzzling task or explain to her one of the world’s glaring contradictions.

You might even take on a leadership role. You organize potlucks or outings with another family. You teach a class or start a club.

Of course, you might just live your life, learn your lessons for yourself, and not think twice about the implications of each little bend in your road.

But what if you did?

For example, how did you make it through the last week exactly?

What did you do that you will remember to do again? What’s the mistake you’ll be sure to never repeat?

What caught your interest for the very first time and where will that curiosity lead you?

Have you ever thought about writing your autobiography?

(Seriously.)

While such a project might seem overwhelming, just suppose for a moment that someone was willing to interview you, write out the transcripts, and even help with the editing.

In other words, if you skip over the headache of being a writer, can you simply imagine how it would feel to tell the world your story?

Any such undertaking involves the harvesting of memories, a daunting task for many of us.

But the memories aren’t the story, only the raw material. Every memory happens right now, in this moment, in the act of remembering. That’s why memories change.

How do you remember what you remember?

If you told the story of that memory to your friend today, how would you frame it?

What details would you emphasize? What would you leave out?

Now suppose you stopped thinking you had nothing to offer and were convinced of the contrary.

What if you were sure that the world needed your stories – not only those that happened yesterday, but the ones that will unfold today and tomorrow?

What if you kept one eye on the horizon on behalf of humanity – or at least on behalf of your community or family?

What if you entered challenging or interesting situations with the intention to take mental notes – so that, regardless of the outcome, you would be well-prepared afterwards to tell the story to someone who cared?

Would that change how you acted, even while the story is still unfolding?

What lessons are you learning right now?

Who else could benefit from those lessons?

Do you want to make a contribution?

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Finding the comfort in your own skin necessary to be willing to make your contribution is easier when you ask yourself the right questions and discover a deeper self-knowing in relation to body, mind, and the surrounding world.

¡Reimagine Yourself!

My 2019 online classes will give you the basis to construct a movement practice that rewrites the story of how you move through the world.

Click here to learn more.

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