Personal Narratives and How to Use Them

Personal narratives are the stories the running in the back of our minds that inform how we perceive our environment, external and internal. We react to a given thought, feeling, or situation based on this narrative. So, as storytellers, it's imperative we understand the stories that run the direction of our lives silently from our subconscious mind.

The need for this function is an ancient one. It built us a map that determined what was and wasn't safe. It took in very real threats and helped us avoid them in the future. It also let us know where we were slacking so we could strengthen our chance for survival. Now, that stimulus may be the judgmental, off-hand, and sometimes misunderstood remarks of strangers. The comments that cut deep leave a wound and anytime something touches that would, we recoil or avoid. To prevent ourselves from risking that touch, we speak the narrative (unbeknownst to us) to ourselves. This is negative self-talk

Rewriting Negative Self Talk's Script

The stories we tell ourselves are deep rooted and must be given space to come up. We can't address them or re-write the narrative if we don't know it exists! Acknowledging our negative self-talk can pave the way for personal growth. We don't judge it, but we hear it. One time I was in bed amidst a two day depression. I was beating myself up over my failures, asking myself questions like, "Who am I to claim to posses knowledge or insight worth listening to?" and "What kind of leader am I if I can't overcome this and beat it once and for all?" Then, as we often do, I tried to talk myself out of the negative things I wanted to say about myself. However, I remembered my own life philosophy. If I'm a storyteller, I better listen to the story my mind wants to tell me. So I did. I let myself have it.

I told myself how lazy I have become and I was weak because I avoided discomfort and ran away from challenge because things got to hard. I was failing my family, couldn't eat right so I would gain all the weight back even though the solution was simple. And so on. I felt that. It hurt. But I knew once the narrative is found, the storyteller can change it. So I did. I told myself I'm a man who knows what he wants and knows why he's here and it's my choice to do what needs to be done. I committed to doing it no matter how simple the act would be. Even if that act was eating an apple when I wanted a muffin, or doing my chores with a song instead of a whine. I felt better and the next day, I re-committed and acted out that story. This is a daily commitment that may change overtime, but when it does, we must be sure we are changing it for our betterment. Lose sight of this truth, and our mind will write one for us, one that hides us from risk and discomfort no matter the cost.

This podcast episode was a comprehensive exploration of personal growth, resilience, and the influence of social media. It encourages listeners to embrace vulnerability, challenge their negative self-talk, and make small changes towards a more fulfilling life. We hope that our conversation inspires you to rewrite your own story for the better.