A quick overview so we all know we’re on the same page.
1. The Stories We Tell Ourselves
These are the stories continuously on autopilot in the subconscious mind. They’re the nasty things our inner critic things are always saying, and the less-than-kind things we say when we’re talking to ourselves. They’re also the things we say to and about ourselves with confidence.
If we can rewrite the stories we tell ourselves to be better, we can help ourselves to be better. Because our beliefs — whatever they may be — are at the core of every action we take. Tell yourself a better story, believe a better story, take better action in your daily life.
2. The Stories We Tell Each Other
These are the stories subconsciously at play in every interaction with others. They’re the passive-aggressive comments that we think are gentle guidance (but are usually taken as personal judgement/attacks), and the things we leave unsaid because we ourselves are scared of being judged/attacked. They’re also the little gestures that naturally arise when our only thought is to ease someone else’s struggle (however big or small).
In rewriting the stories we tell ourselves it becomes much easier to rewrite the stories we tell to others. Because in the bettering of these two story sets there is implicit permission to others to take control of their own stories, and such permission feels like the non-judgement and acceptance we all crave in our interactions. So by taking better action in your daily life, we create better interactions.
3. The Stories We Tell Together as a Society
These are the stories that will eventually fill the history books. They’re errors of judgement on a colossal scale. They’re the broad strokes of trying to make everyone’s lives a little easier, a little brighter in the name of things like freedom and equality and community.
As we rewrite the stories we tell each other, improving every interaction, we can better see ahead to improving how we move forward together as a society. Some of the stories better told to each other could be more scientific and statistical studies that are created without bias, and together we can take that data forward to make lasting changes that benefit us all. We are social creatures, and we each have an instinct to play our part, and we have the opportunity — every day — to play our parts a little better and a little better.
Also published on Medium.