I spent Saturday night reading a new book. Well, it’s not a book as much as a workbook. Or maybe it’s more of an interactive learning experience complete with an online dashboard. Either way, Storyline changed how I look at my story.
I’ve always said that I’ve lived a very safe and happy life. Nothing extremely bad has happened to me. Anything negative in my life was all brought on by my own choices.
So when I started to go through the Storyline book, I was immediately stuck because the first thing you have to think about are your life turns–events that have happened in your life (positive or negative) that affected your core being.
I could really only think of two. One when I went to college and left God at home. The other when I was laid off from my job. Neither, however, were things that happened to me. I chose to go live the college life without God. I also chose to accept a job that didn’t fit my skills (I’m not a good fundraiser). I don’t like to play the victim. I never have and frankly, I don’t have time for people that do.
This all comes back to my Mess to Best theme for this blog. I don’t have patience for those who wallow in self-pity and live in the negative. I can only connect with positive people–people who want more. People who want a better life. People who realize they have to change to be happy.
Playing the victim is easy, but it’s not healthy. We need to learn to let go of the negative and find what Donald Miller refers to as the Redemptive Perspective. You could also call this the silver lining. In other words, what good came out of the suffering?
My college experience provided me with the ability to relate to young adults entering that similar phase. I can now talk with them about the challenges of going to college from first hand experience, not just preach to them about how they should be perfect.
Getting laid off allowed me time to hear God’s calling for my life. I went to daily mass and spent time reflecting on myself. I spent three months exploring my desires and passions before I found a new job.
Your story will be boring if it’s safe and easy like mine. You story will also be boring if it’s only full of negative life events.
Let’s discover the balancing act together. Let’s challenge each other to pursue adventures and change the world. We can do it if we work together. We can do it if we want our story to matter.
Are you interested in writing your own story and living a balanced life? Get your copy of Storyline by Donald Miller and join me on the mySubplot.com dashboard.
What do you want your story to be? Share below!
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