Rewriting History

"There it is!"

My best friend says as he dives on a gaping hole in the ground.

He shoves his arm in up to the shoulder and yells

"I've got it by the tail!"

Minutes before my friend found himself reaching into the hole our scoutmaster had seen an armadillo out in the field.?

We had decided to catch it.

So we made a big circle and started corralling it in.?

When we got within 30 feet of it, it noticed us and bolted across the field.

It looked like a little scaly ball was flying across the yellow grass.?

About 15 feet away from it, right before we were about to pincer movement this armadillo, it disappears.

Just drops off the face of the earth.

For around 30 seconds we all run around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for this missing armadillo, when my friend finds its hole.

And while my friend said he had it, it took us another 30 minutes to pull this armadillo out of its hole.

Each of us has stories that we cherish and that define us.

The story above is one that I cherish deeply, as that friend, who was the first to dive on the hole, passed away a few years later.

These stories are our history, and they shape our beliefs about the world, and thus our identity.

We may not even consciously know about these histories nor their impact on our identity, but they are there.

Which is why I have found journaling to be so incredibly powerful.

Because I am writing history.?

My history.

And if necessary, I can rewrite history when the beliefs that it creates within me are false.

This week I discovered multiple cherished personal histories that were creating negativity and false beliefs.

I see it now as my job to rewrite my perception of them, the words I use to describe them, and the feeling I have associated with them.

I am grateful to my family and friends for calling me out when I act in a way that isn't in line with how I have told them I wish to act.?

Again, we commonly do not consciously realize the falseness or negativity of our beliefs and histories.

They are blind spots.

Having an outside influence can point it out.

I'll finish with the following questions:

1. What stories about your life consistently come back to you? Begin capturing them.

2. What image do they paint of you and of those around you?

3. If the image is poor or negative, how could you rewrite those stories to be positive and empowering?

This process takes time, but it helps you never take psychological steps backward.