Rewriting your (disempowering) story
I remember when our high school graduation song was going to be Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield. I remember listening to it and loving it.
I reread the lyrics recently and I was thinking, there was so much I didn’t know yet. So much still yet to learn. What a great song…
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes
But I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
My journey has been one of trying to be okay at making mistakes, becoming brave(r), living in and appreciating the moment, and actually trying to connect with nature & feel the rain on my skin a little more. So this song is maybe goals.
Anyway - I came here to write about rewriting our story. I was in a coaching training last week and that exercise stuck with me.
Sometimes we tell ourselves such disempowering stories - again and again and we believe them.
For example:
My story is was: I am not a business woman. I can’t be a business woman. I can’t be empathetic and a business woman at the same time.
Through coaching, I was invited to redefine my story. That I can be an empathetic business woman. A business for me is not a business of a thousand employees and that I’m managing with a massive operation with many business units and locations. No thanks. I don’t think I would want to sign up for that.
I can be an empathetic woman running a business that offers coaching and workshops, creates valuable content that’s missing, with a long term vision of also developing evidence-based journals, games around self-awareness and deep talk- addressing the world of emotions and careers. Truly live the mission of Major Confusions - taking career wellbeing seriously through bringing awareness, love, action, coaching, and play into this world.
Also, starting young. We can’t delay this work until we get to our 20s, 30s, 40s. So yes, my new story is that I can be a slower and an intentional type of businesswoman. Learning one step at a time, creating impact one person at a time, one business at a time, one geography at a time, one revenue stream at a time - until I can be comfortable enough in different business models and ways of working. One step at a time. Deep breath. Intimidating (and scary!) but doable. For me I realised that maybe I’m talking about a Palestinian Jordanian version of Esther Perel! Also, goals.
So now, let me invite you to create your own new story:
1- What’s the old story that’s not working for you?
What was the story? What genre?
Who are you in this story?
What’s the impact of the old story on you?
2- How has it served you so far?
3- What do you want to do with the old story?
New story:
1- What genre of story do you want to create?
2- Imagine the new story: who are you in this story?
3- How does the story start? What does the main character need to overcome? If it had a title, what would it be? What transformation happened to the main character? When others witness this story, what will they remember?
Can’t wait to hear your new story! Good luck and hope you enjoy this exercise!!