There are many ways to live life. Some people tell themselves stories that can influence their attitude and approach to life. They may then translate these stories into actions in their daily lives.
Different people create different stories. Some tell themselves positive stories. Some tell themselves negative stories. Some tell themselves self-justifying stories.
Let’s explore the different kinds of stories that people may create. They may then translate these into action in their daily lives and work.
Some people tell
themselves positive stories
Some people take this approach. They may have a positive attitude towards themselves and towards various aspects of life. Different people do this in different ways.
Such people may have a sense of gratitude. They are grateful for what they have been given and the possibilities in life. They translate this into a story and a script they follow each day. They may say things like:
“Life is a gift. I have been blessed with good fortune by having people who encouraged me. I believe it is important to be positive, encourage other people and find solutions to challenges.”
Some may be positive realists. They have a positive attitude but are good at reading reality – such as successful and unsuccessful patterns – and exploring potential future scenarios.
Such people build on what they can control in their lives and work. They may then focus on doing their best one day at a time and doing positive things during their time on the planet.
Some people tell
themselves negative stories
Some people take this approach. They may have a positive or negative view about themselves and a negative view towards various aspects of life. Different people do this in different ways.
Some individuals tell themselves they are superior to others and are right about everything. Some project self-confidence but are scared that they may lose what they have been given or gained.
They sometimes create stories about their own brilliance but focus on negative things about other people and some aspects of life. They keep telling these stories and translate them into action in their daily lives.
Some people have a negative approach towards themselves. They may focus on their weaknesses, the barriers they believe stop them or what they see as the negative things in life.
They may then create a negative story and translate this into a script they follow each day. They may say things like:
“Life is difficult. There are many things against me and also problems in the world. It is hard to do what you want in life.”
Some people tell
themselves self-justifying stories
Some people take this approach. They create a story that, in their view, justifies their actions. This is an approach that is sometimes taken by people who may be involved in a dispute.
Such people may be going through a divorce or engaged in a conflict. Each party may then create their own story that justifies their actions or the case they are making.
Sometimes the stories they create are based on facts. Sometimes they are based on feelings. Sometimes they are based on a combination of both.
People who are involved in a conflict may blame others. People who behave in certain anti-social ways may blame their circumstances in life. Such people may then say something like:
“I was justified in what I did. What else do you expect me to do?”
There are many ways to live life. Some people tell themselves stories that can influence their attitude and approach to life. They may then translate these stories into actions in their daily lives.
One approach is for a person to create and tell themselves a positive story. Bearing this in mind, however, it is important for them to base this story on the two things.
First, the specific things they can control in the situation.
Second, the specific things they can do to do their best in the situation.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Imagine that you want to focus on a specific situation and follow elements of the positive story approach. How can you do this in your own way?
What may be the specific situation? What may be the positive story you may want to tell yourself? How can you translate this into action? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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