*
Why do you go to the movies? To be entertained? Sure. To be distracted? A little bit... but mostly, I think, we go to the movies for the stories. As the lights grow dim and the projector flickers to life we are transported into a narrative that is not our own, placed into a world, a time, different from our daily lives. We get lost, we let go of our own reality in order to become apart of another story.
What is your story? How do you see your life? What is your internal dialog?
Far too often the narrator of my story is a crotchety old man who is displeased with everything I am doing. He sits in the corner of my mind undercutting every accomplishment, berating my very existence. He loves to point out my faults and failures, rocking gleefully on his heels when he sees his words have dimmed my spirit. He shouts over the voices of those who validate my story, who compliment my talents and wish me well, he tells me they are liars, he says they are only being 'nice' but they don't really mean it, how could they?
Dear old man, it is time for you to die.
I have come to realize my narrative MATTERS. The story I tell myself day in and day out can change how I feel about my work, which in turn can change the quality of my work, which will make me better at what I do, which will make me more confident and in the end I will be a better person for it (or so I am determined to believe).
“You are your own worst enemy. If you can learn to stop expecting impossible perfection, in yourself and others, you may find the happiness that has always eluded you.”
― Lisa Kleypas, Love in the Afternoon
I refuse to be my own worst enemy. I want to see the light and beauty within myself and become a cliched 'cover girl', believing that yes I AM WORTH IT (and so are you).
xx
*photo by the insanely talented Jill DeVries she captured this incredible moment in Stockholm on one of her many trips across the globe.
