#48
We hear stories about the world around us from the day we’re born. Some of those stories are about magic, others about love or kindness, and some about heartbreak. Whether they end on a happy note or not, stories all have lessons stored in them.
We use stories to teach and inspire others.
We use stories to explain our emotions and experiences.
We use stories to make a point and bring clarity.
But what about the stories that we keep telling about ourselves?
Are they based on reality? Or distorted through our emotional memory? Or perhaps inflated by our ego? Could we ever be objective critics of our own stories? Could we ever rise above the stories about ourselves that we truly believe in?
The answers to all of the questions above are for you to find.
But let’s start with something simple.
What’s one book you connect the most to your childhood? And why?
For me it’s “The Little Prince”. What I remember vividly is my teacher telling the class that this is one of the books you need to re-read every couple of years, because every time you do, you will discover new life lessons. And so I did. And every time I’d read it, I’d be reminded of the power we each have to see things from a new light so long as we’re willing to try again.
The books that change our life are the books that change our perspective. Our childhood is the time when we’re most impressionable. We can easily get amazed or scared by something just by hearing it.
So if there’s a book that you connect to your childhood, it’s a book that probably brought a big shift in you, whether that had to do with your thinking or your emotions.
Re-connecting with a younger version yourself can help you become more aligned with your authentic self simply by revisiting the past with the intention of acknowledging that what you thought and felt was okay.
Why? Because when we’re kids, we take emotions and thoughts as the ultimate story of our life.
There are no wrong thoughts or feelings, since they are not the ultimate truth. Thoughts and feelings float around to give you indications. They point to things. They are not the thing. It’s for you to connect the dots and understand what they’re trying to tell you.
So if you have a book that you connect deeply to your childhood, go and re-read it. Figure out why it’s changed your life and how you can bring the knowledge to change other people’s lives.
