Be The Hero of Your Own Story

If you aren’t the hero of your story, it’s just not the right story.

I’ve always believed this.

But, note that I didn’t say hero of “the” story. I said hero of “your” story.

You see, I think too often we let someone else’s story play out as our own, unwittingly, all the while beating our heads against the wall, frustrated that things aren’t working out for us the way we’d always imagined. We go and go and go, assuming that if we just worked harder, worked longer, worked smarter, that we’d find the happy ending we always wanted.

We know that the best endings are the stories with the shittiest middles. It’s the drama, the tension, the face-your-demons decisions that make it – your story, your life, your triumph! – interesting. But, how do you know if your shitty middle is part of your story or someone else’s?

It’s a matter of throwing away the sunk cost notions of just carrying on the same road you’ve been traveling. Ask yourself, with regularity, “Is this something that still matters to me? Do I still want this even at the cost of everything I must sacrifice? Would I wake up miserable if didn’t have this struggle, this heartache, this hope?”

Now, you might be thinking, “It seems like she wants me to quit, do something else, take a new path…”

To the contrary, I want you to own the shit out of your dreams. Take them by the horns, and make them happen. Look defeat in the face and know that you have more inside of you to give.

Ask yourself why you are doing this, who put you on this path, what lies ahead for the journey if you cross paths with the success you seek.

Reassess. Recalibrate. Refocus.

Just make sure that it’s your story.

Because who doesn’t like a happy ending?