What is your story?

Have you ever had a friend who tells the same old story about why they are not married, wealthy, successful, or any other goal they have but have not accomplished?I had a few really good stories. In high school, I was not exactly motivated.  My focus was more on my social life than my schoolwork. I spent a lot of time with friends and very little time studying.

My story

I F’ed up so much in high school that I had a lot to make up for. My life was about compensating for what I believed I lacked from this phase of my life. In other words, I needed to “catch up”… forever.I met a new friend recently and he had the same story. He did not work too hard in high school either.However, he told his story differently than I did. He said that he was not on track in high school, but hit the ground running ever since.He is not trying to compensate for failed efforts in the past. He is happily working along on this life’s goals without a sense that he has something to prove from failed efforts in the past.That is it! He was done. He turned a corner and stopped blaming that time in his life for something missing now. We took the same actions, yet we told entirely different stories. He told an empowered story while I did not.

My new story

Here is what I did: I took his story. I stole it. I was not on track in high school, but I have hit the ground running ever since, too.It is true. I was f’ed up and I have hit the ground running ever since. I built a company and sold it before 35, yet I did not feel good because of one story. I was still making up for my lack of effort 25 years ago because of an old story I was telling myself.

What’s your story?

What is the story you are telling yourself that can be said differently?Do you need another degree to move forward? Do you need to be smarter? Do you need more love? Do you need someone else to change? Do you need more money to feel better? Was your mom or dad not enough and that is holding you back?How fast can you change that story and release yourself from the destructive effects and wasted time?What holds you back?Are you compensating for something that you cannot change? Are you holding yourself back because you need one more thing before you can move forward? Is someone else standing in your way?Can you write a different story?