What's Your Story?

The story we tell ourselves can be so powerful.

But it's just that. A story. 

We can get so caught up in assumptions about other people and make up a whole story about it. 

And often, the story is wrong.

Like with Nick Nolte in Affliction. 

A tragic real-life example is what happened to Trayvon Martin in Florida.

George Zimmerman had told himself this person was "messed up" and "up to no good."

The more he told his story to the 911 dispatcher, the more he seemed to believe what he was saying was true.

It turned out, the story was a lie.

Trayvon Martin was a teenager, chatting with his girlfriend on his cell while walking home from a candy run.

He couldn't have been farther from what George Zimmerman had made up about him.

George, so convinced by the story he'd made up, shot Trayvon dead.

We all make up stories. We do it all the time. 

It would be so much easier if, instead of making things up about each other, we'd just ask.

And then, when we get the answer, believe it.

Has that ever happened to you? Someone says, you did this because of this. And you say no, that's not why at all. And then they insist they know your motivation better than you.

So juvenile and idiotic. I can't stand people like that. I weed them out. They only drag down the quality of your life. 

And they don't change.

They love their made-up stories too much. The stories often stem from a delusion of victimization - you done me wrong!

Delusions of victimization keep us in a state of victimization. Even if we truly were victimized, identifying this way allows the victimization to happen again and again. Only this time, it isn't the aggressor doing it to us, but ourselves.

Let's let go of the story and see what is.