Write Your Story

Have you ever thought about what chapter you’re on in life? How far into your story are you? Are you writing it? Are you letting it just happen? Is it something you’d want to read?

Our birth starts our story, in the early stages our parents or caregivers write it for us as they teach us the skills we’ll need to grow. As time passes and we grow, we start to have more of an impact on the direction our story takes.

We choose how we’ll behave in school. We choose if we’ll go to college and what college we’ll go to. We choose friends, relationships, and careers. We start to be the author of our own story instead of the paragraph in someone else’s.

My husband kept our story alive when he was in the military as I tried to write my life in a different way. I couldn’t be more thankful that he saw what I couldn’t see. If he hadn’t continued to write and call I would have a much different story, no doubt a less happy story.

Every choice we make writes our story. Will I try something hard and let my character (me) fail? Will the relationship I choose bring my character (me) heartache or love? Will my character (me) spend her days chasing dreams or watching others accomplish them? How many chapters will my character spend watching Netflix? How many working out? Will people scream as they read about my character thinking about her dream in an obsessive loop while she doesn’t lift a finger to make it happen?

Write your story! I don’t think you want 42 chapters about bad decisions and regrets. I bet you’d love to see that your character (you) reached his/her goal. Your character (you) lived their best life!

It’s a new year, maybe it’s a new chapter, it’s time! Make your choices as you would if you were writing a story. Do I want to write another chapter about my character (me) waiting? Not getting up, saying tomorrow I will? Or do I want to give that exciting hook? She (I) did it! She (I) took that first step, she started after her dream, she’s not waiting – she’s doing it!

Get off the couch. Pick up the pen. Write your story.