Rewriting The Story

For those of us who had significantly less than ideal childhoods, life can become a mire of “what-ifs”. What could I have accomplished if not for the abuse? What if it has been different, where would I be today? Life can become a circle of anger, helplessness, hopelessness, and the feeling that we have been robbed of our potential.

There is a tool that can help us to discover who we could have been if not for the destructive wasteland of our childhood.

The time may be right for you to take control of the past. Of course, the past is over, and essentially un-changeable. However, there is a way to take charge of the present by re-writing your past.

Many years ago, I read a novel. I have no idea what the name of this book is, nor do I remember the author. However, there is a line from that book that stayed with me; I even wrote it down and kept it on my pantry door for years. One day, when the time was right for me, I read that line and it was as if a sunny window was thrown open in my mind. Suddenly, I just GOT it! And now, I am passing that revelation on to you.

“It is easier to keep a bad story than it is to write a new one.”

We can re-write the story of our lives! It is our story, after all. We can do anything that we want with it. The trick to this, if it can be called a “trick”, is that you must be open to the possibilities! You have to believe that this can work. Skepticism is fine, but if you are not open to the possibility that this can work, then it most surely will not.

Here is what you do:

If you can, find a photo of yourself as a child. The best one would be sometime when you were happy. If you can’t do this, however, that’s fine. Just pick an age for yourself to start from. Do your best to visualize yourself at that age.

Now, you begin to rewrite the story of your life, on paper and as it were a book. Don’t expect to be able to do this in one sitting or even in one week. Be as creative as you possibly can, and take your time. You might want to give yourself a new name, and that is great. I can’t emphasize enough to you that this is your story! You can be anything and anyone that you choose.

Now, keep in mind at all times, the sky is the limit in your new story! Give yourself the parents and the family that you always dreamed that you wanted, the ones that you always wished that you had. Make them loving, and nurturing and supportive.
Make your home be the one that you always wished you lived in. Give yourself a pet if you like. Good friends, a great school, nice clothes, great toys.

Because you have this wonderful life, you are now self-assured, good in school, popular and good-looking. Did you always want to be the star athlete or a cheerleader? Well, you can be now.

And because you now have everything going for you, you can go to college, if that was a dream of yours. You can become anything that you want. You are smart and successful, so there are no limits.

If you can let yourself go in this exercise, it can be very powerful. When you rewrite your story, you open yourself up to all that you “could” have been. If you can incorporate the new story into your psyche, make it your own, then you are on your way to becoming that person that you always could have been.

Just take your time, and let yourself run free with this. At the very least, you are exercising your imagination and being creative, and these are never a waste of time. At the highest possibility, you could change your life.

Your life is yours; it belongs to you. The story of your life is your most fundamental possession, your most intimate heritage. Take control of it and you take control of your life.

So, let your mind wander free from the past, and have fun creating a new one for yourself.