The Story of You

You’re the main character. What will you experience?

Do you remember that movie? The one where the attractive actor accelerates through the career ranks, finds the perfect partner, easily solves a few of the world’s most urgent problems, and lives happily after?

No, of course, you don’t—that movie doesn’t exist. It would be five minutes long and no one would see it because it would be incredibly boring.

Hollywood has perfected the formula for a different type of story. In blockbuster films, a character is introduced, a challenge is presented, a guide appears to provide a plan. There are obstacles to overcome and adversaries to beat, but eventually the protagonist emerges victorious. That’s a story we can relate to.

The Struggle Is Real

The truth is that all great stories are steeped in struggle. As humans, we enjoy stories of hardships overcome. We see ourselves in the characters because our lives are not always easy, and we want to win our professional and personal battles, too.

Think about Andy Dufresne in the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. An innocent man spends years in jail, faces horrendous conditions, but never gives up hope that someday he’ll see the world outside the walls that contain him. He’s guided by Red, a fellow convict, and remaining true to himself, eventually triumphs over his situation.

As viewers, we identify with Andy, not because we have been convicted of a crime we did not commit (thank goodness) but because we admire how he deals with adversity. He never lets the warden or the prison guards write his story—he battles for the freedom to write his own.

Believe in Your ‘Happily Ever After’

One of the most powerful strategies to get out of stress and into the moment is to realize that you are living your story. Your story is a wonderful mystery that is unfolding. You have free will, and every day, you are creating the story of your life. You are the lead actor, the star of your story.

As in the movies, you will continue to encounter an array of supporting characters and extras and run into plot twists you never saw coming. Your story may be scary, it can be fun, sometimes calm and frequently turbulent. Often, things won’t go as planned but it’s up to you to learn from each experience, good and bad.

To live your story confidently and with joy, all you need is one thing: make the choice to believe that it will end well. Then the ups and downs, starts and stops are mere plot twists to be experienced.

Live in This Moment

Stories are made in the present. The past is gone and the future unwritten—all you have is the now. So act intentionally in whatever scene you find yourself in. There’s no use wasting this fleeting moment on life’s stage by fretting about what is already done or worrying over an imagined something that may never come to pass.

After all, life is time. All the money in the world cannot give the dead another minute to live. Don’t let time run out imagining what should be or conjuring up new things to fear. Rather, spend your time experiencing the Story of You.

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