What's Your Story Worth?
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The short answer…it’s priceless! Your story is one of a kind…YOU are a rare gem! The value in telling our life stories is that we are empowered to understand our deepest self and how our experiences have shaped us.
When we bring a curious and compassionate approach to ourselves, all the riches of our inner wisdom and, for some of us, the Power greater than ourselves, become abundantly available to us. This means we can walk a new path to be free of shame, blame and feelings of unworthiness. We are free to move forward with confidence to be the author of our next chapters.
How Interesting!?!
The first time I formally told my story was in graduate school through a genogram in an assessment class. Here are a few interesting tidbits I learned about my ancestors as it relates to me…
On my mom’s side, a branch of the family is from the Czech Republic, formerly known as Bohemia. I thought, “Of course! This could be the reason that I love COLOR…every color and lots of it! I have Bohemian gypsy blood in me!
On a less glorious note, I also discovered that there is a history of addiction on both sides of my family. Knowing this has offered me some grace for my struggle with addictive eating patterns. I am not an impulsive, undisciplined fat person, but I struggle with my body image and overeating, and I have some epigenetic disadvantages stacked against me as well.
The Power of Story
When we know other people’s stories, it can give us clarity about our own. I just saw Neil Simon’s live play “Lost in Yonkers” this past weekend and was struck by the various characters shift in perspective when they heard a part of each other’s stories. Grandma was a German Jew who survived WWII with deep wounds, as you might imagine. She raised her children with a steel hand and heart, which caused them to feel unloved and unlovable. As the plot progressed, it was revealed that Mama, as they called her, was determined to raise children who would be strong and independent enough to live and not die. Her intentions made sense when we understood her story, but the impact on her family was not pretty. Knowing other people’s stories may be an explanation for their harmful or negative behavior…not an excuse.
As we learn to “read” the story of our lives, we gain perspective. We see how the characters develop and how the plots form. We can then begin to take an active role in writing the rest of our story. All of our experiences, up to this moment, have formed and influenced us…both the painful and the delightful. We can’t change what happened in the past, but we can see with new eyes. Let’s reclaim our true identities…the valuable and worthy humans we are…and were before all the past scenes and chapters took place. The good news is that we can come to believe about ourselves, what we would easily believe about other precious souls if they had lived our story.
Here are a few ways to begin to explore your story
Work with a professional therapist who will provide a safe, accepting space as well as guide and support you in the journey. To learn more, call or email our care coordinator.
Attend our art journaling class on March 11, 2023 and dip your toe in reflecting on your story through mixed media expression
Listen to Adam Young’s podcast - The Place we Find Ourselves is a rich resource for self learning
