Wake Me Up: Morning Positivity - Your Story is Your Strength | Change Your Story, Change Your Life

Episode Date: August 20, 2024

Your story is full of power. It can be your strength or your weakness. What story do you tell yourself about your life? Is it one where you are the champion or the victim? Turn your story into your strength by reframing it with a positive perspective.  #motivation #personalgrowth #motivationalvideo #positivity   About Wake Me Up Wake Me Up is the # 1 guided morning routine podcast. Our guided morning wake ups offer affirmations, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and motivation specifically designed to help you get out of bed and start your day with a positive mindset. Stop pressing the snooze button all morning long, and turn on an episode of Wake Me Up instead. You will be happier and more successful at everything in life because of it! Try out our different kinds of episodes to see what you like. And add it into your morning routine every day. Each day, you will be happier than the day before :)   Listen to my Spotify playlists to keep the good vibes going this morning: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6nSXshDBPub8iigdyQJlWN?si=207f42f85dbc4b97⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Want to be more focused? Wish distractions would just melt away? Sign up for the WMU Focus Course! If you're interested in joining, all you need to do is sign up for the course here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wakemeuppod.gumroad.com/l/focus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Get ad-free access to the entire WMU catalog + bonus content + 25% discount on WMU courses by joining the WMU Premium Feed. Sign up and start your 7-day free trial at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://wakemeup.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow the show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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. **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

Wake Me Up is made possible thanks to the generous support of our premium members and our sponsors. If you'd like to listen to Wake Me Up ad free, get access to the entire catalog and bonus episodes, then check out Wake Me Up Premium. There's a seven-day free trial, so you can try it out before you commit. Now, before our episode begins, here's a quick word from today's sponsors. Humans love stories. Research suggests that people are 22 times more likely to remember information. presented in a story than they are to remember facts alone.

We really struggle to understand things outside the context of a story. We want the background and the prediction. In this episode, we'll explore the profound idea that our experiences, traumas, and lessons from life are what make us unique and valuable to the world. We'll talk about how to make your story work for you. rather than against you. And soon, you'll see that your story is your strength. Now, the Olympics just finished up,

and that's a great example of how important stories are to us. Some competitions in the Olympics are less than a minute. The 100-meter dash, that event itself is only about 10 seconds long. But the announcers spend hours giving each competitor's story in the lead-up to the event. And that's what might make us root for someone. The same is true for your local sports team. Another great example is history itself.

This endless well of tales from the past, it helps us understand the present and predict the future. Knowing where we came from helps us comprehend where we are, where we're going, and more importantly, why. Stories don't just tell us. us make sense of things, though. They're not just a series of events. They form the fabric of our identity.

They shape who we are and how we perceive the world. Each and every experience, whether joyful or painful, adds a unique thread to our tapestry. And it's these threads that give our lives texture and depth. Think about the quote-unquote identity. identity of the nation you live in. Maybe there's even more than one. Here in the U.S., there's the good old-fashioned American dream.

And without saying anything else about it, I'm sure that conjures up some sort of image or expectation in your mind. I know it does for me. And it's quite possible that it conjured different images or expectations in my mind versus yours. and it's almost certain that we feel different about those images and expectations too. That right there shows the power of stories. They allow us to identify with others who think like we do, who've been through things we've been through.

And perhaps the story or stories that affect our lives the most are the ones we tell about ourselves. both those we share with others and the ones we keep private. The more we tell ourselves a story, the more it becomes ingrained. We begin to form a narrative, and our minds will literally look for evidence confirming the truth of that story. And it's for this reason that it's impossible to see yourself how others see you. As you might imagine, this can be very important.

empowering and freeing, or it can be the complete opposite. And it highlights one of the funny things about stories, which is that the conclusion, what you take away from the story, can completely change based on your perspective. This is the reason we have an endless amount of court cases and lawsuits in the world. It's the reason people argue with their neighbors, their spouses, their partners, their family and friends, even when we all agree on the basic facts.

So here's the question for you. What stories are you telling about yourself? Are they empowering or disempowering? Are they freeing you or restricting you? Are you the champion or the victim? I'd be willing to bet both sides of that coin show up in one way or another. And this leads us to the point of how your story can go from being your greatest limitation to your greatest strength.

How? By changing the perspective from which you view the story. Refram it. While you may be seeing yourself as a victim, someone else may be seeing you as a survivor, a warrior. When one person sees you wasting time, another may say, see you enjoying the journey. And I can use myself as an example of this. I used to be a lawyer, but I am no longer. Many people see that and say, well, what a waste. You put in all that work,

took out student loans, only to quit? And certainly, there's some truth to that point. But I'll tell you what? You want to know what most of my lawyer friends say to me? I wish I had to had the courage to quit too. So in one story, I'm an idiot, wasting time, money, and energy, and in another story, with the same facts, I'm bold and courageous. And honestly, I've wavered between these stories over time. The farther I get from that point in life, the more I realize that the true story, or at least the one that I think is true, is somewhere in between.

Yeah, I put a lot of time and effort into a career that I then turned around and left. But I also learned a ton. And on top of that, I really challenged myself. And I'll always be okay with that because it means I'm growing. And am I some bold, courageous hero? No, I don't think so. Just a normal guy who didn't want to waste my precious time in life, doing something I didn't want. Instead, I decided to spend my time helping people be happier and healthier, which is why you and I are both here right now.

And this just goes to show how your story can be your greatest strength. Your pains and traumas, your mistakes and lessons, your successes and failures. Buried in these experiences is knowledge and wisdom. Buried in them is a story, probably more than what. And that story can help someone. It can compel someone. It can save someone from a pitfall. It can ease someone's pain.

So my friend, what stories are you telling yourself? Are they true? Are they helping you or hurting you? who might see them a bit differently? And who might they help? Because if your story can help even just one person, then my friend, your story is a superpower. Well, that's all I've got for you today.

I really hope you enjoyed this episode and that it's inspired you to look at your own life and your own story in a new, more positive way. If you did enjoy this episode, it would mean a lot if you took one second just to leave a comment or review. Maybe even share it with a friend who might enjoy it. Now, I hope to see you back here soon. So until next time, go out and have an absolutely fantastic day.