This article discusses and answers the question 'What is a Life Story' and describes what's in store for this series.
The Brain Again!
The brain is a remarkable organ. Its role is to keep us alive, to regulate the body's function and to keep us safe. As we develop from infancy, our brain develops by making new neural pathways to accommodate the changing environment, and our perception of reality changes accordingly.
Early in life we are influenced by the behaviour and beliefs of our parents and other influencers in our culture. Up until the age of 7, children don't question this input as they are mainly concerned with survival, in particular food and personal safety.
Throughout life, the brain develops a framework to make things work for us. This framework develops as we experience the world around us and receive feedback about our own behaviour.
This framework expresses itself as a story.
In this context, a story is simply a construction of different beliefs and values. It is constructed of sequences of events that were highly prominent in an individual's life, but it is couched in the language of belief. As each event happened in life, it's explanation is expressed as a belief. It presents itself as 'the truth', even though it may not be objectively true.
Two Examples of a Life Story
For instance, if a girl is abused by her father in early life, when approaching adulthood she might develop the belief that all men are bad. This may be made worse if she experiences abuse from other men or hears the idea reinforced by media and other external influences such as the academic environment.
What started as an isolated series of events became generalised into one flawed belief. The problem then emerges when it comes to finding a husband or partner: she has problems liking or trusting men because of her limiting beliefs about them.
Another example: a boy does really badly on a maths exam, bad enough to hold him back and repeat the year. When trying to understand what happened, he may hear parents, teachers and other students tell him that he is dumb and will never get anywhere in life. So he tells himself he is dumb. His belief is that he is dumb and he tells himself that he is dumb. It must be true because he failed the maths exam.
In consequent years he ends up being a failure at everything he does, because he thinks he is dumb. He makes no attempt to get better at maths (or anything else) because he believes he cannot do it.
The Solution: Create A Different Life Story
As we progress to adulthood, we develop an identity based on our life stories. This identity can either serve or not serve us. Most of people's 'personal problems' revolve around identities, beliefs and values that do not serve us.
The key to making our life serve us is to switch to values, beliefs and identities that serve us.
And we can do that by changing our life stories.
In this series...
we will be taking this subject apart to examine what how a life story is constructed, and how to re-create your life story so that it serves you and enables you to get the most out of life.
We'll be looking at the following:
- The psychology of identity - how do life stories get written?
- How to Identify your own life story.
- Learn ways to rewrite your life story.
- How to live your new life story.
Amongst the many benefits, you will achieve the following:
- Stop self-defeating patterns and habits
- Release pain, baggage and stories that no longer serve you
- Quiet the inner critic and empower your self-talk
- Identify and release the limiting beliefs that are holding you back
- Understand and use the power of your mind
- Take back control over your life
- Develop self-confidence and a success identity
- Find meaning and purpose in challenging life experiences
- Envision a compelling future for your life
- Live in alignment with your true, authentic self
- Reach your potential and live a fulfilling life
- Consciously create your own destiny
In short, you will change your life.
Coming Soon: The Psychology of Identity - how life stories get written.