There is only one certain way to effectively master your story, but before you can even begin, you must first be willing to find yourself, your true self. You know, the person that’s beneath the surface of whatever role you feel you have to play to the outside world. But in order to find yourself, you have to be yourself; your most authentic self. The moment you find and become your most authentic self is the moment you’ll become aware. Once aware, anything is possible.
We are on this earth for a very short period of time. Life happens fast. Each day is a gift and we should treat it as such. Show gratitude in ALL that YOU do. It all starts with gratitude and gratitude is a choice; however, it is also a foundation that foolproof and a foundation of goodness. Implement rules of gratitude into your daily life. When you wake up, be grateful for a new day and for the people who love and support you. Begin to practice showing gratitude throughout your day, be it for a meal, a good workout or even a failure that will help you learn what not to do the next time around. And finally, before you close your eyes at night, be grateful for what you were able to accomplish in a single day.
In order to effectively master your story, you have to become a master of YOU. You have to love YOU… you have to embrace YOU… you have to accept YOU as YOU are… your flaws and your strengths. Do not try to become someone else. It may sound cliché, but it’s as simple as just being YOU.
Your uniqueness is what separates your story from any other. No one on this planet is as unique as YOU. No one person has the same traits, ambitions or unique abilities as YOU do. And no one person has your life experience. You are truly one-of-a-kind!
Essential Step #01 – Wake Up. In order to take control and master your story, you must first wake up from the false reality you have been living most of your life. We are conditioned from a very young age of what not to do, what not to say, and what not to be. Starting today, starting right now, take control of you. Do not let anyone, or anything from the outside world influence who you truly are and who you truly want to be. Turn off the news, lose the gossip and as of this moment, begin to practice non-judgment.
Do you sometimes feel the real you is trapped inside? Do you feel you have much more to offer, and much more to give, but you lack the confidence or understanding to come into your own? Do you need a wake up call… the one you’ve been waiting for?
Well, here it is. THIS is YOUR wake up call.
Essential Step #02 – Listen to your inner voice.You’ve heard it your entire life, most likely from a parent, grandparent or teacher. “Trust your intuition… go with your gut… listen to your inner voice.” Yet most people doubt themselves. As Ed Mylett explained when I interviewed him on my podcast, people struggle and tend to negotiate with themselves over everything. Every time you negotiate with yourself, there’s a price to pay. Today, stop negotiating.
The truth is, we were all born with the gift of intuition, yet somehow, someway we talk ourselves out of what we know is the right decision and the true way to fulfillment. Keep in mind, there’s no such thing as a bad decision. Even if your decision was not the best choice, you can still learn from it if you accept it as a gift on your life journey to effectively master your story.
Be more mindful of your inner voice and trust your instincts.
Essential Step #03 – Live your life like a lucid dream. Have you ever had a lucid dream? You know, the dream where you know you’re dreaming and you’re able to take control of yourself within your dream. For me, it’s a recurring dream. I’m a kid playing outside in front of our house and I suddenly realize I’m dreaming and then take control. I do what I’ve always wanted to do… I fly. I raise myself up and fly up and down our street, over the telephone wires and have full control of flight. Then, I venture off into the city, above parks and buildings and railroad tracks… places I know. It is the best feeling in the world. I am free and I am in complete control.
What if this became your reality? What if you could control your life, as you do in a lucid dream? I have some good news. You can.
Most of us fear we don’t have the power to control our reality, when in fact we do. And most people avoid even trying to control their own reality. We tend to let life happen to us instead of controlling it as we do in a lucid dream.
Essential Step #04 – Be the hero of your own story. Every myth narrative contains what’s called the monomyth, or what’s better known as—the hero’s journey. It’s the common theme within any tale, whereby the hero has been called to adventure. Then, they inevitably encounter a crisis, which is ultimately achieved, before undergoing a transformation upon their return. Along the way, there are temptations and challenges, revelations and the ah-ha moment—until he or she reaches a state referred to as supernatural wonder. They remain there at that state until victorious.
I’ve been studying the hero’s journey for many years and have been working to implement these characteristics into my own life in order to become the hero in my own story (we call life).
Do you want to be the hero in your own story, or would you rather play a supporting role, or worse yet, play an extra in someone else’s story. It’s your choice, win that Pulitzer Prize.
Essential Step #05 – Have awareness. Once you wake up, listen to your inner voice, begin living your life like your in a lucid dream, and become the hero in your own story, you’ll then have full awareness. Having awareness, as mentioned in the opening paragraph, is a process. Awareness brings you to a state of consciousness whereby you have more knowledge, perception and realization of what is taking place around you.
Awareness will become your strength and your advantage. Just as described in Essential Step #03, if you live your life as you do in a lucid dream and become aware of it, magic will happen. You will begin to effectively control, and even manifest whatever you desire. The trick is, you must believe it wholeheartedly and believe nothing differently and without any doubt, fear or anxiety.
Essential Step #06 – Love yourself. You’ve heard the old saying, “You can’t love others until you love yourself first.”
Loving yourself is the single most important step to effectively mastering your story. If you don’t love yourself, nobody else will. This premise is a law of the universe and it’s inflexible, just as much as gravity. If you throw an apple up in the air it will always come down, there are no exceptions. The same is true with loving yourself. If you don’t love and embrace yourself including all of your strengths and shortcomings, no one can possibly love you in return.
Essential Step #07 – Authenticity is key. Our society is designed for you to conform. Conform to the rules, standards and ideas of others. To go against this, you may be perceived as original, you may find your voice, and you may be authentic—having the ability to influence others to do the same. The invisible world, or the law of attraction, would rather you not go against the grain and not play your own game, as that is the least path to resistance. You will feel resistance in being authentic; however, that’s the sign you’re on the right track. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Be convicted and stay the course.
Essential Step #08 – Consistency.Mastering your story, like mastering anything in life, it takes practice. You don’t wake up one morning and say, “Today I’ve effectively mastered my story and therefore, I’ve mastered me.” In fact, it’s quite the contrary. Mastering your story is a daily practice and a lifelong journey; however, once you plant the seed, it instantly becomes possible and you will see progress immediately.
Think about a high performing athlete, artist, musician, business leader, entrepreneur, etc. Anyone who strives to be the best is consistent in their routine. You become more accurate, you become more stable and you become more devoted in all that you do. Most importantly, top performers know that in order to master their craft, they must learn from their mistakes. Many are even grateful for mistakes, as they are the pathway to excellence.
Essential Step #09 – Confidence. You can implement each of the eight previous steps, but if you don’t have confidence in yourself and your abilities, there’s a good chance you’ll struggle to succeed. Have you ever noticed that when you talk about a subject that you’re passionate about, or know extremely well, you talk about it with ease? That’s because you’ve spent the time to learn the subject matter well enough that it comes naturally to you.
It’s important though, to maintain humility through your state of confidence. Confidence does not mean arrogance. Confidence means you have poise, courage and self-assurance. Confidence is being level-headed, having faith in yourself and remaining positive. Conversely, confidence is not an act of self-importance. In fact, confidence does not assign importance to anything, as it will lead to no good. It’s okay to acknowledge it, but do it by decreasing the level of importance you assign to things.
Essential Step #10 – Full Transparency.What is transparency? As it relates to effectively mastering your story, the definition of transparency is two-fold. It is living as yourself and being honest with yourself—100% of the time. Being transparent is difficult. From a young age, we’re conditioned that’s it’s okay to tell white lies to yourself and others. The problem is, the more we tell white lies, the more they become engrained within us, so much so that it’s hard to break free from the dangerous pattern of telling them. In our minds white lies become justified.
Having complete and full transparency means you don’t have a hidden agenda or place any conditions on what you do. You’re no longer trying to conceal, sway, or even roll the dice; rather your honesty, integrity and autonomy becomes your motivation. When you reach full transparency, you have found the way to take control and Effectively Master Your STORY!
Roger L. Brooks is the founder and host of American Real, a weekly video podcast with a mission to inspire, enlighten and empower its viewership, while cultivating talents and building human capital and intellectual property for those we serve. To get a free copy of Roger’s eBook: How To Effectively Master Your Story; 10 Essential Steps to Find and Market Your Authentic Self, click here: http://bit.ly/masteryourstoryebook