Unfold Your Own Myth

Don't be satisfied with the stories that come before you.

Dear Friends,

Many years ago sitting in a circle with a group of women wiser than me, I was given a card that in part read, “Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you”.

At the time I had no idea what that message meant for my life or for me. But I trusted it did so I kept it. It has been hanging on my bulletin board quietly, patiently, waiting for me to make sense of it. Not until recently while reflecting on the arc I have travelled thus far in my life, did I understand its meaning — no matter the circumstances I have endured, the narratives that have been cast upon me, the boxes others have placed me inside, I get to decide my story. No one else. Just me. It is mine to write. And I am good enough and I am worthy enough to have the life I decide.

So what is your story? Are you living today based on your own choices or are you living based on the stories you have inherited?

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Does the pain or trauma of your past, your culture or that of your parent’s culture, the Supreme Court decisions, the agenda of legacy media, the mob of cancel culture, the clique at your school, work or club decide your story?

In my case for years it was the pain of my childhood, the role or titles such as “the black sheep” or “Iranian tart” placed upon me by the adults in my life, the boxes I was put inside and not allowed to escape always being seen for the mistakes of my past and not my subsequent growth.

What are you carrying that no longer serves you? That never served you?

What is your story? What is your truth?

Oftentimes it can seem that our circumstance dictates our future, but it doesn't have to. We can switch off auto pilot and take back control. You get to decide who you want to be and where you want to go.

Acknowledge where you came from, what has shaped you and identify what is not aligned with who you really are or who you want to be. Then write your own authentic story.

Unfold your own myth. Do not be satisfied. Break down the old notions. And build. Time is always on your side. It is never too late. Take heart. Start small.

It may take work. Strike that. It will take work, especially if where you are heading is far and foreign from where you came. But you can do it. It is possible. It is necessary. It is worth it for yourself, your children, spouse and ultimately the world.

Remember, we are worthy to invest in ourselves. We are capable to make changes. Period. Full stop. We can believe in and bring forth ourselves differently than what we have known until now!

“Do not be satisfied with the stories that come before you.
Unfold your own myth.” ~ Rumi

Our story is a compilation of what we do daily. That is to say, our life is nothing more than the accumulation of the actions we repeat…a series of tiny habits, most of which are on auto pilot.

Do you want to stop doing something that is hindering you from living in alignment with the story you claim as your own?

Or maybe you want to start something meaningful that gets you closer to the story you wish to write?

What’s the one thing you want to do differently this week starting today? Just one thing.

Perhaps take a few deep grounding breathes and see what comes. Breath in through your nose deep into your belly as you count to six, 1 2 3 4 5 6, hold your breath at the top for count number seven, 7, then exhale through your nose as you continue your count to number fifteen, 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Repeat this fifteen count breathing exercise three more times.

Now be still. Just listen. What comes to you? There is no wrong notion. No judgement. Just trust.

For me it is going to be ensuring that my last interaction with my children and my husband ends on a high note. A positive note. I am not going to exude grumpiness that we are getting to bed after bedtime and we are not getting the sleep I think everyone needs to meet tomorrow’s activities. I am not going to take off on the runaway train of frustration, lecturing my kids that if they listened and cooperated with me, then they would be in bed on time. How crummy of a way is that to send everyone off to dream land! Being grumpy does not change anything other than creating animosity and feelings of alienation between us all. Instead, I commit to finding grace, gratitude and positivity in our final interactions of the day, bringing us closer together and creating feelings of love, acceptance and appreciation.

Weekly Mantra: I write my own story.

When we take action, we build confidence in ourselves and we build forward momentum. When we purposefully create, we move off of auto pilot.

Celebrate every win, no matter how small you think it is. The incremental, small wins add up to huge fetes over time. I promise you.

We will forget, get lazy, triggered and just plain mess up. Perfect! We are human. And so we start again. And every start, every practice, strengthens the muscle, the goal, we are building.

Give yourself compassion when you misstep.

What is your one thought, action or perception - your one thing - you want to play with doing differently in service of creating your own story? Name it. Declare it. Write it. Start small. Tiny small. And please share it in the comments below so that the village we are building together can support you.

With love,

Whitney