Evolution of A Story
15 Aug
Delighted to have Rachael Acklin in the house sharing the evolution of her story.
I’ve been making up stories about myself since I was a child.
I used to pretend that I lived in Middle Earth, and that the woods behind my house were full of elves.
I used to climb trees and pretend that I lived out there and could fall asleep on a branch and not fall down.
As I grew older, and had a boyfriend, I told myself that I was boring and not very pretty, because a sixteen-year-old boy found me rather bland.
When I was in my twenties, I told myself that romance wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and that a husband who came home every night was better than excitement.
Later when he left me, I told myself that I was used and damaged and nobody would ever want me.
But I also told myself that I was capable of taking care of my two little kids on my own, and that I didn’t need anyone else.
Then a year or so later I decided I did need someone else, and I pretended I was happy that way.
It’s taken me years of pain and heartache, along with beautifully sunny days full of smiles and laughter and the love of my children, to see that so many of the stories I’ve told myself are pure and utter bullshit.
And that I can leave them behind, not just to write a new story, but to see myself for who I really am.
I’m not plain or boring or incapable. I don’t need romance to function as a person, and my standard for relationships now is a lot different than it used to be. I will always love the woods, and I will always pretend I live in a mythical place, because it makes me feel more at ease in the world.
Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are good for us; they help us cope, and help us love who and what we are.
Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are terrible, twisted metaphors that damage us deeply, and draw people to us that aren’t good for us at all, because they reflect those twisted stories back at us.
The best thing I have ever understood is to realize that I alone can make me happy.
That I alone have the power to bring myself joy.
That I can tell myself a beautiful story about me that is true, and miraculous, and ever-changing.
Because that person is who I really am, and who would know that better than me?
Rachael Acklin lives in Middle Earth, which happens to be in the middle of Michigan. She designs websites and teaches entrepreneurs to tell compelling stories about their work at Brand Harmony Studio.
Coach’s note:
Since it’s all made up anyway. . .
- What’s something new you could say about your old story?
- How could that story evolve today?
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[...] dear Rachael Acklin says in a recently published article, Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are good for us; they help us cope, and help us love who [...]
[...] dear Rachael Acklin says in a recently published article, Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are good for us; they help us cope, and help us love who [...]
[...] dear Rachael Acklin says in a recently published article, Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves are good for us; they help us cope, and help us love who [...]