Have you ever noticed there’s an on-going story you subconsciously tell yourself? There’s a theme you script in your head about who you are, where you’re headed, and how life is treating you?

It’s important to occasionally stop and check out the story we tell ourselves, since what we think drives who we become. 

Sometimes the story that rumbles around our heads is filled with drama. “I’m a victim who’s suffered a lot and never gets a break,” is one whiny tale we jeer.

“I’m awesome, and people need to know it,” is a fairytale we might write. 

The most common story is some version of “I’m a bad person”—which serves only to make us feel worse because we come to believe we never measure up. 

And finally, there’s the “I know this pony ride’s going to come to an end soon” story—which causes us to self-sabotage. 

Most of these stories are untrue—or, at the least, exaggerated. They’re based upon fear.

Maybe a better story we could tell ourselves is the one God’s already written for us—we’re heroes created to multiply love in the world. 

A hero is a humble, ordinary person who:

• Helps those in need;
• Empowers the weak through our strengths; and 
• Walks alongside others as an encourager and friend. 

Perhaps God sees us as heroes because that’s how he fashioned us. Before we were conceived, the Creator decided the world needed us. The tapestry of the universe wouldn’t be complete without you and me and the unique talents we bring to the world. And our purpose for being here is to multiply love in our own special way to make the universe a better place.  

Maybe that’s the story we need to find the courage to embrace—the one that embodies self-love and acceptance. The story that affirms the truth—we are good. We are heroes.

We’ve been given a book with empty pages with which to write each chapter of our lives. What would be the title of your life’s book? What wisdom have you learned and wish to pass on to others? What unique gifts do you have to make the world a better place? H
ow do you want your story to unfold? 

As we enter a new year, carefully tend the narrative you create about yourself throughout each day. Each thought adds to the book of your life.

What story do you want to tell yourself so you become fully alive? Can you be the hero of your story?


—brian j plachta
brianplachta.net