How To View Your Day As A Story
Do you remember the first time you saw something more clearly?
I skipped a few eye doctor appointments (about 20 years worth) until finally coming to the point where I needed a little help seeing. The very first day I wore I glasses, when I was walking out my front door… I yelled!
I scared my wife. Probably the children too.
When my wife came to the door to ask me what was wrong, I responded, “There are so many leaves on the tree out front!”
I could finally see the individual leaves on the tree across the street. Knowing they exist versus seeing them exist changed things for me.
This post is aimed to do the same for you. I hope the tools below can change the way you see situations and circumstances you find yourself in.
The below format is A way to start doing it. It’s not THE way. I’m sure there are a lot of different approaches to this but I simply wanted to offer you one of them.
It’s not some big, life-planning, life-changing event. This is more of a strategy for all your little moments throughout the day. It’s a process that can take you 30 seconds to 30 days.
Opportunities are all around us and moments escape us quickly.
Next time you feel like you’re struggling to see something more or meaningful -
next time you’re on the verge of making a decision that could turn to regret, try this.
Stepping Back.
Detach yourself from the situation for a moment. This doesn’t always mean physically. Yes, it helps to physically remove yourself from a problem, but this can be done mentally and emotionally for just a moment. I’ve heard it called a 30,000 ft view. Pretend you’re flying over, looking down on, this specific point in a story. Do your best to insert some separation by stepping back.
2. Thinking.
Analyzing what is happening can be a key component to your next best decision. Don’t let your answers or actions accidentally slip out. Pause and think through the facts of where you are, what is happening, and how this all can/should go. “Think before you speak.” That old cliche is an old cliche for a reason. But when we pause, we start to see or envision a new path.
3. Observing.
Some of our best thinking can be done when we’ve stepped back for a moment and with that can also come the best way to see parts of the story that we may have missed. We can begin assessing every character involved and what they must be feeling or experiencing. It’s powerful when we put ourselves in the shoes of others that are around us. Take notice of the others in your story - It informs our actions and our demeanor.
4. Reinserting.
We cannot disengage forever. At some point, we have to reinsert ourselves back into the story. But here’s the cool part, reinserting yourself has more to do with healthy decisions that turn the next page in the way that you desire, NOT placing yourself right back into the mess where there’s potential damage being done to your storyline. You get to play the role of director. Direct your character to live the next part of this story in a way you want it to read back later. Whether you removed yourself physically or not, you should feel empowered and confident to move forward well. This leads us to our last point.
5. YOU.
We are discussing you and your unique story. Your story has value and no one else owns it. Sometimes, this process helps us realize that our current situation isn’t worth wasting any more blank space on. Sometimes, this process helps us realize that our current situation has us (or our character in the story) playing a role you never knew you had the ability to play. Whatever the situation, I think you’ll find this practice to be healthy and helpful.
Live your story well today!