Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Morning Motivation - Write Your Own Story | Taking Ownership of Your Life

Episode Date: October 10, 2022

This morning, find the motivation to take ownership of your life and be the writer of your own story. Enjoying Wake Me Up? Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at https://wakemeup.supercast.com/. Follow the show on Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Amazon - Podchaser Say hi or request an episode at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/contact. See visual guides for the yoga and stretches in WMU episodes at www.wakemeuppodcast.com/stretches. And find the podcast on Instagram and TikTok. **Only partake in the physical movements suggested in Wake Me Up episodes if you are physically able and in safe surroundings. All movements are done at the individual's own risk. Be safe, and always consult a doctor if you have any questions or concerns.** Have a wonderful day 😃 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you'd like to enjoy Wake Me Up completely ad-free and get access to exclusive bonus content, check out the link in the show notes for the Wake Me Up premium feed. Hey there, welcome to Wake Me Up. I'm your host, Tyler, as always, and I'm so grateful to have you here. This week's episodes are all based on a common theme, the concept of writing your own story. In this motivational episode, we'll dive into what it really means to be in control of your own life, your own story, and to take charge in writing it. In just 10 minutes, I'm sure you'll believe that you are the writer of your own life,

and you'll be empowered to make changes that align with the reality you want to create. Before we dive in, just pause for one moment and take a few deep breaths at your own pace. As you do that, consider your life on a grand scale, like the summary of a book. book. If you had to sum your life up into a few paragraphs, what would you want it to say? What are the tales, memories, and advice that you'd want to leave behind and be remembered for? The really cool thing about life is you truly can make your story into anything you like. But that requires you to pick up the pen and write that story. Not let it slip by, or even worse, let someone else write it for you.

So with that in mind, feel free to go about your morning routine, having your coffee or tea, going for a walk or having a stretch, whatever you like to do. And while you do that, let's dive further into this concept of writing your own story. You see, the act of storytelling goes way back thousands of years before humans could even write. We've always been storytellers, and we've sought comfort in them. As scientist Michael Shermer puts it, humans are by nature, pattern-seeking, storytelling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns whether they exist or not.

So our minds are always searching in this way to make connections. And while this has made us an incredibly intelligent species, the connections we make also sometimes cloud our vision of what's really true. We're all creating meaning based off of emotional reactions to our own experiences. Those meanings turn into stories that can work against us and keep us trapped as our present reality starts to look like a reflection of the past. Take for instance a person who is switching careers. And the reason that they have in their mind for wanting to leave

is trying to escape and find something more sustainable. On the other hand, take the same person switching out of a bad job, but they've framed this career change differently. Instead of seeing it as an escape from something bad, they're looking for a long-term fit that supports them and their growth and happiness. There's a big difference in the outlook from those two narratives, right? Yet it's the same basic plot line, the same facts. The truth is, either we're not.

why you frame it, you'll create the life that narrative sets. The difference is purely in how the narrative is written. You see, humans find comfort and familiarity, whether that familiarity is actually good for us or not. It may be beliefs about oneself, about someone else, or society at large. Either way, we tend to keep fueling those thoughts, and we look for facts that fit the narrative while tending to ignore others that break it down. For example, we all know people who play the victim or who always blame others for their own mistakes. These are the kinds of narratives I'm talking about,

and they come in all different kinds. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with creating stories. It helps to give us meaning and fulfillment in life. The problem arises because we are all unreliable narrators of our own lives. That's how psychologist Lori Gottlieb puts it. The stories we tell ourselves and others often don't reflect the full truth of a situation, because the full truth lies in all perspectives.

When you have a conflict with another person, your story about how it happened will often be very different from theirs. And that just goes to show how limited we are in our own interpretations of the world. If we step outside of these boxes, we can see that reality is far more vast than we ever realized. It gives us all of the room we could ever desire to write the story that we want. But to write the story you dream of,

you've got to be willing to change. If you feel stuck in life, it's probably because you're running the same narratives over and over. But let's put it in perspective, and consider what's really more scary, taking ownership of your life and changing who you are, or wasting the opportunity of life. If you're not writing your own story,

you're just a character in someone else's. If you're not taking ownership of your own life, then someone else is making your choices for you. That may be a spouse or a family member, a boss, or society at large. So choose to take ownership of your own life and write your own story, even if it is a little scary.

You will probably lose some things that feel familiar, but the version of yourself that you can step into has no limitations. They'll be more fulfilled and more happy. So let me ask you this. What is a narrative you've been telling that you want to rewrite? What is one part of it that you can change?

And consider whether that change comes from within yourself or if you're hoping that someone else will make it for you, because you certainly shouldn't count on the latter. Start to recognize which beliefs are actually just attachments to what used to feel true for you. And recognize that they don't have to be true anymore. Do you truly still believe in the narratives that you're living? or are you just attached to their familiarity?

As the protagonist of your own life, you have the power to change your story, the parts that are written already and those yet to come. Ask yourself and be honest, are you being the protagonist or are you sometimes being the antagonist and holding yourself back? If you are, that's okay,

because we all do it at times. But remember, only you control that shift. You can get out of your own way and drastically change your life for the better. Whether you want a new career, more fulfilling relationships, a better exercise routine, or even just changes to your small daily habits,

it all starts with the edits you choose to make to your narrative, that story you're telling yourself in your head. So start to catch yourself when those limiting narratives come up. When that happens, just acknowledge it and adjust it to be the story that you want it to be. Eventually, you'll have rewired your mind and you'll see a whole new narrative playing out in your life. So as you start this day, ask yourself this, what's the story you want to write? And once you decide, don't wait another. second. Pick up your pen and start writing your story. Well, that's all for today's episode. Thank you so

much for tuning in and joining me here. I hope you're feeling inspired and freed to go write the story of your life exactly how you want it to be. I'll talk to you tomorrow for a meditation on this theme. So I hope to see you there. Until then, go out. Write the story. Write the story. of your dreams, and have a fantastic day.