Rewriting the story.

Each of us has a story.

You know that, right?

Usually a story about not being enough of something -- creative enough, talented enough, smart enough, savvy enough, lovable enough, pretty enough.

The story I'm noticing right now, for me, the story that keeps bubbling to the surface is:

No one wants my stuff.

As in, no one signs up for my thing, no one wants to take my class, no one looks at my ebooks and says, yes.

And of course it's happened that I've done a thing, and people haven't responded as I'd hoped.

Wah! No one wants my thing!

I say, of course, because, when people put their thing out there for public consumption -- their writing, their painting, their new site, their coaching services -- I can guarantee that there was at least one time when it didn't go over as planned, no matter how successful they seem.

That's just normal.

Everything can't be a hit.

And you have to fail to figure out what works.

It's normal, but it's not fun.

How stories work.

No one wants my stuff -- it's an old story for me, with deep roots.

The thing is, the way stories work is, they need to be consistent. They ditch the details that don't line up with the theme.

They're not reality. They're a way of making sense of reality.

So when I tell myself, no one wants my stuff, no one's ever wanted my stuff, I leave out all the instances when, yes, people really wanted my stuff.

(Oh, right. That time when 'Why Not Now?' sold out practically before I had the chance to tell anyone about it.)

Those parts don't fit the narrative.

A bedtime story.

And I start to wonder, is it possible to alter the story? To rewrite it going forward?

How might that happen? It isn't enough to just write it out and say, yes, that story is true, too.

Because the old story goes deep.

Reminders? Repetition?

• I might send notes to myself in the mail, telling myself the new story.

• I might record a meditation/bedtime story, to listen to before I go to sleep.

• Every time I take a sip of tea, I might be drinking in the new narrative.

• Every time I put on a potion, I might be infusing myself with the new story.

It's not about creating affirmations (though if affirmations work for you, huzzah!).

It's about the other side of the story.

Both are true.

This one's more helpful.