Crafty me
A few years ago, I learned about the concept "the story we tell ourselves" and it has come in really handy in my journey of self development and personal growth. There are many things that we tell ourselves about who we are, what we like, what we don't like and these can all affect how we feel about ourselves, and how we behave. These "stories" are the beliefs that we hold, that have usually come from one or several experiences. The brain then stores these experiences as facts and re-present them to us whenever the occasion requires them.
There is nothing wrong at all with holding beliefs, of course not. However, as humans, we tend to grow, change, shift, transform, and what we held dear as a belief in the past, isn't necessarily the case, or relevant, now. So, as with all things, it's worth reviewing them every now and again. For me, using the terminology "the story I tell myself" makes it easier for me to quickly review and shift the narrative where relevant. "Beliefs" is such a strong word and is often accompanied by our moral compass, therefore not as comfortable to shift.
An example: for a very long time (probably since school), I've been telling myself that I'm not creative. This is probably due to not being brilliant at art and design at school. And it is something that I came to absolutely believe about myself. I made a small shift when I started directing musical theatre, as it became obvious that I had creative skills in this area. So the narrative changed to "I'm not good at arts and crafts". And then I joined the WI last year, and it turns out that I'm actually not bad at all. I just hadn't really learned particularly well, or had any practice. I'm not perfect at it at all (yet), and I wonder if anyone really is naturally perfect at anything first time. In any case, I have come to realise that perfection doesn't matter, it's not what's important to me. I am learning skills and enjoying the process. And it's great because, like with everything, it also helps me grow in terms of self development. Win-win all round I reckon.
Thank you for listening.
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