The stories we hear in our childhood are the ones we remember all our lives. – Stephen King

 

Have you ever really noticed, paid attention to and considered the thoughts generated within your own mind?  Of course you have, it’s your self-talk, or inner voice. Some of the more prevalent negative self-talk templates include, “I’m too old – I’m too young – I could never do that - That’s too hard – Better play it safe - I might fail,” and of course, perhaps the most common, “I’m not good enough.”  Often, the actual language of the self-talk may not even be evident to our conscious mind – it may be firmly set as a deeply-seeded unconscious belief, so that the actual words remain undetectable.

 

Several questions to consider are… What are the stories you tell yourself about yourself; about the world and about your place in the world? What stories did you learn and grow up with and how have they influenced your perspective and the choices you’ve made in your life?

 

A little reminder I’ve come to trust through the years is, “Don’t believe everything you think – we are not our minds.” If we’re not careful, we can allow our thoughts to lock us into a box. We can allow the stories that we’ve learned as children to shackle our mind and limit the possibilities for living in the present. Of course, this is part of growing up—our emotional growth and the psychological maturation process. In essence, uncovering, relating to and accepting our true self may be the ultimate individual and spiritual journey.

 

It’s never too late to rewrite our personal story and flip the script on our self-imposed limitations, and so it is with our collective world. It’s time for a new story for the world, and Linda Seachrist weighs in on that topic in this month’s feature, subtitled “Re-Visioning the Script for a Healthier Society and Planet.”

 

How do we turn the tables and tell a new collective story with chapters on climate, economy, religion, environment, science, politics, medicine, education, conscious evolution and community? Don’t skip this important article, as it challenges us to “be aware of the stories we live by, as well as those we tell ourselves and others.” It also begs us to ask what our role is in the new story.

 

With 2020 almost behind us (phew!), we’re sending best wishes for the holidays to everyone and hoping that we unify together toward feeling good, living simply and laughing more in 2021 and beyond.