What's a Story?

A story can be thought of as a narrative applied to our life. We all have conscious and subconscious narratives, or stories, flowing through our life every day. This narrative is made up of a belief framework that creates the context for our life. Our stories are like filters through which information flows. And that information is translated through that particular filter – coloring it. In this way stories can also act like programs, or operating instructions, that run at a mostly subconscious level.

There are several levels of stories or programs that become the backdrop for our life experiences. Stories can be personal, referencing personal beliefs and attitudes, or they can be collective stories, which are group beliefs that we have inherited or been taught. Group beliefs may include those we inherit from our family of origin, cultural beliefs, beliefs embedded in an education system, or the philosophy of the spiritual or religious organizations we may be a part of.

Stories are connected to our background, upbringing and life experiences. A teacher calls you lazy and unmotivated, and forever colors your feelings about school and your self. You grow up with a parent that believes in you and your abilities, and this becomes the foundation for your belief in your self, and a life long motivating factor. Traumatic experiences to joy filled memories color the story we tell to our self and others. Memories and experiences become the chapters in our story. They can provide a sense of growth, personal worth and power, or they can undermine our view of our self by feeding fears and limiting beliefs, which compromises our personal power and effectiveness in the world.

"Whatever is not conscious will be experienced as fate."

— C.G. Jung

Our stories reflect our beliefs, how we think and feel, about all sorts of things. However, our stories can be based on assumptions that may or may not be true or accurate. Assumptions act like filters that limit the information flow due to the assumptions or pre-conceived ideas. Based on limited or inaccurate information we once thought that the world was flat and that the earth was the center of the universe. We had to amend that story after mathematician and astronomer, Copernicus, introduced a model of the universe that placed the sun, rather than the earth, at the center of the universe. This challenged the existing views, demanding a shift in perspective, and spurring new growth in scientific discovery.

Because stories influence our point of reference, our beliefs, they reflect how we see our self and the world. When we identify the stories, programs and beliefs that we carry inside of us we become aware of the influence they have on our choices, our behaviors, and our life. Meeting them at a conscious level allows us to decide if they are still pertinent and whether we choose to continue with that story or not. Challenging our existing views or life narrative can create a change in perspective and spur new growth in our own life.

Current thought provoking scientific research demonstrates that our beliefs and emotions, which are embedded in our stories, are a direct communication link between our mind and our body.[1] This open channel of communication directly affects our health and well being in all areas of life. We will, for example, have a different life experience carrying a story that we are “damaged goods” versus a story that stars us as capable, strong and worthy. Identifying outworn ways of operating that are based on old experiences, stories or assumptions provides the opportunity to update our operating system. We can then see what may need to be reconsidered or released in order to reassess and realign our self to what we choose to create now and who we choose to be now.

"Whatever defines you confines you."

– Alberto Villoldo

New discoveries and information about our self can not only change our perception at a personal level, but also affect how we see others and how we experience the world around us. It gives us an opportunity to choose from a conscious perspective, instead of from a subconscious reservoir of information that may not be helpful or pertinent any longer. Changes within our self precede changes in our experience. Are the stories we carry within us holding us back and keeping us down, or are they supporting belief in our capability, our creativity and our health and happiness? A new story may be called for, providing the basis for a new perspective and a renewed sense of possibility and personal power! Is it time to change the screenplay of your life?

Imagine the story you want to live,

Deborah

[1] “The Biology of Belief”, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D