We all have a script in our heads. Our minds are constantly writing and rewriting it.
Sometimes it’s full of hopes, aspirations, and perfect potential events…
Other times it’s dark, stormy, and filled with expectations of disappointment…
That script is the main source of our anxiety.
In our minds, the “pen” is constantly writing…
And we think, expect, plan for life to follow that script.
We’re anxious about it. Angry even, when things don’t work out as we hoped or others don’t act or react the way our script said they should.
We’re distressed expecting the worst when our script gives in to our previous disappointments.
The crazy part? Most of our scripts focus on the world around us and what it should do.
And we have absolutely zero control over that.
The only part we have control over is ourselves… yet, we lose focus on the parts we can control and use our imaginations to create futures we cannot control, then stress, disappointment and anxiety roll in like crashing thunderstorms when it doesn’t happen the way we demanded it happen in our scripts.
Let go of your scripts. Make it conscious.
Script for yourself only. What can you control? What steps keep you on the path you choose to follow, towards the destination you choose to get to?
Make peace with the journey unfolding differently.
Most of us have read Helen Keller’s words: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
But most haven’t read the rest of the thought she shared. It goes on: “Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.”
Our minds script desired futures and scenarios to provide a (false) sense of safety.
And most of our anxiety comes from trusting that false script.
When we step into the courage to decide only to write scripts for ourselves, for the actions and choices in our control, we take back our own responsibility and power.
Don’t script for the world. It won’t listen.
Script for yourself. Then let life unfold. Challenges, expected and wildly unexpected, will come. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Then do it again. And again.
Yes, it’s exhausting. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. But it’s the only approach, the only script, that will get you to your goals and keep you sane along the way.
No one else holds the pen for your life. And you hold the pen for no one else’s life.
Life flows easier when we embrace that truth and let go of trying to control what we cannot control.
P.S. It’s been a minute since I posted. I appreciate those who’ve reached out to check on me. Our baby chicks have hatched, our Rooster is still a jerk, the dogs discovered jackrabbits (and we discovered they can run a lot faster than we’d realized!), the vegetable garden is still alive so far… and I’m in the middle of launching several big new business projects and keeping up with client work. So it’s been a little busy and a lot of crazy. <3