Stories Worth Telling
by Alan Cohen
www.alancohen.com
In the spirit of the holiday season, Dee and I went to a liquor store to purchase a gift of wine for a friend. There we asked the store owner, a congenial fellow named Ali, for some recommendations. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Ali is a world-class wine expert. He went into fascinating, poetic details about each wine, describing its subtlest nuances and mesmerizing us with stories about the history of each winery, some of which went back over a thousand years. I was rapt. Finally I commented, “I guess all wines have a story.”
Ali smiled and shook his head. “Not exactly,” he replied. “All good wines have a story.”
His comment got me thinking about the stories we tell. Some stories are worth telling and others are not worth telling. Some stories empower us and others disempower us. Which of your stories bring you life and which deaden you?
The end of this year might be a good time to decide which stories you want to leave behind and which you would like to take into the new year and amplify. One of the most powerful exercises I have ever done in a seminar was to ask the participants, “What story are you ready to let go of, and what story are you willing to have take its place?” The answers were quite revealing: Participants declared they were ready to let go of their victim and abuse stories; poverty, lack, and struggle; loveless relationships; fear, resistance, and many variations on “poor me.” In their stead they were ready to tell new stories of living with conscious intention; relationships that yield reward and joy; abundance and success; trust, flow, and creativity; and “blessed me.”
Every time you tell a story, you reinforce the feelings and experience associated with the story; you amplify the themes in your consciousness; and you increase the chances of a similar story repeating itself in your world. That is quite enough reason to carefully choose the stories you tell.
If you find yourself telling a story that is taking you to a place you would rather not revisit, stop and consider what story might effectively replace it. I patronize a video store that has a computer program that alerts the clerk if I am about to check out a video I have already rented. The clerk asks me, “Are you aware that you’ve already watched this video?” If it was a good video and I want to see it again, I proceed with the checkout. If I remember that I didn’t really like the movie, I send it back to the shelf and pick out another one.
How helpful would it be if you and I had a little computer program in our head that reminded us, “You have already told this story. Are you sure you want to tell it again?”
Many of us keep telling non-productive stories because we get perceived mileage out of them. They do not bring us reward, but they are familiar and we build a presentation and identity around them. One of the movies I have checked out several times is The Heartbreak Kid (1972 version with Charles Grodin). In the film, Lenny has a canned spiel he gives most people to impress them. “I think it’s time we quit taking from the earth and we started giving back to it.” A good idea, for sure, but for Lenny it is purely hot air.
Over the course of his journey, Lenny impresses a number of folks with his rap, to the point that he manipulates to marry the girl he has been pursuing. In the final scene of the film we see Lenny at his wedding reception, sitting on a couch with a couple of eight-year-old kids. “I think it’s time we quit taking from the earth and we started giving back to it,” he tells them. The kids simply roll their eyes, get up, and walk away. Like many children, they live too close to truth to be impressed by a hollow story.
Holiday gatherings offer great opportunities to be at choice about the stories you tell and listen to. What a wonderful season this will be if you use it to tell a new story! You can turn around lifetime patterns of negative conversation by pointing your story in a new direction. You may discover that no one is too old or too stuck to get a new story. Bill, a carpenter who works at my house from time to time, is a straight-arrow kind of guy. A military retiree, Bill is a devoted family man and conservative in many ways.
Last week Bill told me that, due to a health crisis, his wife picked up a book on spiritual healing. She got really excited about it, and so did Bill. As we stood in my back yard, Bill went into a long discourse about how spiritual healing works. Although I have understood (and taught) these principles over many years, I listened fervently, absolutely impressed by the new life Bill had discovered. He got a new and better story, and he is loving it!
Rather than wishing you a traditional holiday greeting, I wish you a good story. I wish that the most wonderful aspects of your current story expand, and if you have any painful or empty stories, that you find new ones to launch you into a new year. May your new year place you smack dab in the middle of the greatest story you have ever told.
Showing posts with label new beginning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new beginning. Show all posts
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS by Portia Nelson
AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
by Portia Nelson
CHAPTER I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
CHAPTER II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
CHAPTER III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
CHAPTER IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
CHAPTER V
I walk down another street.
THE END
Today take another street!
by Portia Nelson
CHAPTER I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
CHAPTER II
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
CHAPTER III
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
CHAPTER IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
CHAPTER V
I walk down another street.
THE END
Today take another street!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Negative Emotions Can Turn Into Fears ... by Angie Sierra
Negative Emotions Can Turn Into Fears ... by Angie Sierra
I’d like to share a true story with you:
There was a little girl who admired and respected her father. She always enjoyed watching him work around the house.
One sat. evening, her father was working on an ongoing complicated project in the garage. He was tired, frustrated, irritated and didn’t want to be bothered.
The daughter (unaware of how her father was feeling at that exact time) walked inside the garage in a exciting, care free and happy mood.
Watching him from a distance, she decided to impress her father and work on her own little project. So she picked up a hammer, a small nail, a piece of wood and began to hit the nail with the hammer.
She was doing well until she missed the nail and instead hit her finger.
Holding back her tears from the pain & throbbing of her finger,she grabbed the hammer to try again, her father yanked the hammer from her hands and yelled at her saying: “You don’t know how to do anything! just get out of here! And leave me Alone!”...
Even though our parents or guardians were our first teachers, we can not blame or get upset on how they raised us. Being a parent or guardian does not come with instructions.
There actions toward you were based on how they were raised, how they were discipline, how they were treated or mistreated, and how they were loved.
Some parents had a hard upbringing and learned from there experiences, overcame them and vowed never to treat there children the way they were mistreated, others kept there emotions locked away, not knowing/understanding how to approach or handle there emotions.
You see the father lashed out with anger not because of his daughter but because of how he was feeling and took it out on his daughter. The bad news is the little girl heard and believed every word he said...
Experiences like this can stay with you for many years and the negative emotions at a young age can easily turn into fears as we grow. That’s what happened in this case.
As she grew into a teenager, she became extremely shy. She didn’t talk very much and kept to herself. In school she never volunteered for any thing because she was afraid to mess up and believed no one wanted her around...
This story was based on one of my personal experiences.
The feeling of never being good enough has always been a struggle. A battle within myself of either trying my hardest to accomplish or being afraid to succeed. but
The understanding I got after working on myself first (healing) was by far most important in improving my entire life.
Can you recall of a moment or moments that may have had a negative impact through out your life?
Write about it in your journal...
Join me in 3days, for a better understanding.
Have an Amazing Journey!
TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
© Copyright 2009 TrueHealthAndHappiness.com All Rights Reserved
Angie Sierra
757 E. Realty St.
Carson
90745
United States
I’d like to share a true story with you:
There was a little girl who admired and respected her father. She always enjoyed watching him work around the house.
One sat. evening, her father was working on an ongoing complicated project in the garage. He was tired, frustrated, irritated and didn’t want to be bothered.
The daughter (unaware of how her father was feeling at that exact time) walked inside the garage in a exciting, care free and happy mood.
Watching him from a distance, she decided to impress her father and work on her own little project. So she picked up a hammer, a small nail, a piece of wood and began to hit the nail with the hammer.
She was doing well until she missed the nail and instead hit her finger.
Holding back her tears from the pain & throbbing of her finger,she grabbed the hammer to try again, her father yanked the hammer from her hands and yelled at her saying: “You don’t know how to do anything! just get out of here! And leave me Alone!”...
Even though our parents or guardians were our first teachers, we can not blame or get upset on how they raised us. Being a parent or guardian does not come with instructions.
There actions toward you were based on how they were raised, how they were discipline, how they were treated or mistreated, and how they were loved.
Some parents had a hard upbringing and learned from there experiences, overcame them and vowed never to treat there children the way they were mistreated, others kept there emotions locked away, not knowing/understanding how to approach or handle there emotions.
You see the father lashed out with anger not because of his daughter but because of how he was feeling and took it out on his daughter. The bad news is the little girl heard and believed every word he said...
Experiences like this can stay with you for many years and the negative emotions at a young age can easily turn into fears as we grow. That’s what happened in this case.
As she grew into a teenager, she became extremely shy. She didn’t talk very much and kept to herself. In school she never volunteered for any thing because she was afraid to mess up and believed no one wanted her around...
This story was based on one of my personal experiences.
The feeling of never being good enough has always been a struggle. A battle within myself of either trying my hardest to accomplish or being afraid to succeed. but
The understanding I got after working on myself first (healing) was by far most important in improving my entire life.
Can you recall of a moment or moments that may have had a negative impact through out your life?
Write about it in your journal...
Join me in 3days, for a better understanding.
Have an Amazing Journey!
TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
© Copyright 2009 TrueHealthAndHappiness.com All Rights Reserved
Angie Sierra
757 E. Realty St.
Carson
90745
United States
Friday, April 3, 2009
Welcome to Your New Beginning! by Angie Sierra
Everything in your life happens for a reason, You didn't just so happen to subscribe to these emails and are now continuing to read each word. (Note: I discovered Angie's articles, subscribed and believe they're worthy of sharing)
This is not a coincidence, its all apart of YOUR Journey.
Maybe you're looking for answers or in need of encouraging words, maybe you're looking to change your present life, find balance and move forward.
Or maybe you're one of my supportive friends (which I welcome and
appreciate by the way)Whatever your reasons are, they've lead to this moment...
As you know, we don't live in a perfect world and things aren't always going to go as planned. Running into obstacles and always facing challenges are apart of our lives. The lessons we learn, the sacrifices we take, the emotional roller coaster we face and the negativity we live in, are there to help us Experience, Learn, and Evolve.
Some might ask, "Then how do I deal with it all, especially the stress, challenges and bad situations?"
Its very simple.
The answer:
By Never Giving Up and Thinking Positive No Matter What.
For example lets say you get hurt or were involved in some sort of accident and now your in the hospital. Its OK... Things aren't always what they seem. Maybe you needed to get some rest an take a break, maybe you were moving too fast and needed to slow down, maybe you were headed towards something worse and this had to happen to stop you from going any further. There's always a deeper meaning. You'll see & understand exactly why things happen but only after overcoming the emotional process.
Remember this: Your Greatest Learning Experiences always come from bad situations. let me repeat "Your Greatest Learning Experiences Always Come From Bad Situations".
Accept your problems and solve them as they come. Tell yourself your challenges are temporary and will pass. Ask "What is this experience trying to teach me" or "How can I grow from this setback?". This helps deal with the situation, finding ways to solve, accept and move forward...
You see you're a Powerful Person who can influence and attract more good then bad in your life by Feeding your Mind with Positive Thoughts no matter what. Overcoming our obstacles and gaining knowledge along the way is what its all about.
Take the First Breath, Welcome to Your New Beginning!
P.S I understand many of us have hectic life's but we need time off to work On Ourselves to Create a more Positive Outcome. Having a personal journal to write down any thoughts, dreams, goals, quotes, etc. is a great way to help develop your personal growth. It increases your self-awareness and helps keep you on track. By also writing the exact dates and time, will allow you to go back reflective and analyze where your state of mind was at that moment.
So everyday or at least 2×'s a week set a quiet time for yourself to relax, clear your mind, gather your thoughts and look over your journal. This is the time to Reevaluate your life, make changes and Improvements. To have awareness and clarity, to receive guidelines, hunches, and ideas. (with No distractions)
P.S.S Its also extremely important when receiving an email, you reread that particular email at least 2×'s that week.
A suggestion would be to place your emails in one folder for easy access, by clicking on Move...[New Folder]...then entering a name for your folder...and moving all your emails into that folder. Your new folder will be located on the left hand side underneath My Folders.
The Value Of Learning Is Truly Beyond Words
Have an Amazing Journey!
TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
© Copyright 2009 TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
This is not a coincidence, its all apart of YOUR Journey.
Maybe you're looking for answers or in need of encouraging words, maybe you're looking to change your present life, find balance and move forward.
Or maybe you're one of my supportive friends (which I welcome and
appreciate by the way)Whatever your reasons are, they've lead to this moment...
As you know, we don't live in a perfect world and things aren't always going to go as planned. Running into obstacles and always facing challenges are apart of our lives. The lessons we learn, the sacrifices we take, the emotional roller coaster we face and the negativity we live in, are there to help us Experience, Learn, and Evolve.
Some might ask, "Then how do I deal with it all, especially the stress, challenges and bad situations?"
Its very simple.
The answer:
By Never Giving Up and Thinking Positive No Matter What.
For example lets say you get hurt or were involved in some sort of accident and now your in the hospital. Its OK... Things aren't always what they seem. Maybe you needed to get some rest an take a break, maybe you were moving too fast and needed to slow down, maybe you were headed towards something worse and this had to happen to stop you from going any further. There's always a deeper meaning. You'll see & understand exactly why things happen but only after overcoming the emotional process.
Remember this: Your Greatest Learning Experiences always come from bad situations. let me repeat "Your Greatest Learning Experiences Always Come From Bad Situations".
Accept your problems and solve them as they come. Tell yourself your challenges are temporary and will pass. Ask "What is this experience trying to teach me" or "How can I grow from this setback?". This helps deal with the situation, finding ways to solve, accept and move forward...
You see you're a Powerful Person who can influence and attract more good then bad in your life by Feeding your Mind with Positive Thoughts no matter what. Overcoming our obstacles and gaining knowledge along the way is what its all about.
Take the First Breath, Welcome to Your New Beginning!
P.S I understand many of us have hectic life's but we need time off to work On Ourselves to Create a more Positive Outcome. Having a personal journal to write down any thoughts, dreams, goals, quotes, etc. is a great way to help develop your personal growth. It increases your self-awareness and helps keep you on track. By also writing the exact dates and time, will allow you to go back reflective and analyze where your state of mind was at that moment.
So everyday or at least 2×'s a week set a quiet time for yourself to relax, clear your mind, gather your thoughts and look over your journal. This is the time to Reevaluate your life, make changes and Improvements. To have awareness and clarity, to receive guidelines, hunches, and ideas. (with No distractions)
P.S.S Its also extremely important when receiving an email, you reread that particular email at least 2×'s that week.
A suggestion would be to place your emails in one folder for easy access, by clicking on Move...[New Folder]...then entering a name for your folder...and moving all your emails into that folder. Your new folder will be located on the left hand side underneath My Folders.
The Value Of Learning Is Truly Beyond Words
Have an Amazing Journey!
TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
© Copyright 2009 TrueHealthAndHappiness.com
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