by Britt on February 20, 2010
We’re all storytellers. Some of us realize this fact before others, while a few fail to acknowledge this reality ever. We tell ourselves a story about who we think we’re meant to be versus who we’ve really become. We tell stories about how we think we were, full of bravado and beauty, when, in reality, we were more likely to be retiring and nondescript.
We tell ourselves that we’re either more or less than our real versions because we’re so rarely satisfied with what peers back from the mirror. On occasion, we indulge in honest introspection, but quickly hide away the results of our investigation, believing that since no one else is aware, we’re safe from discovery.
Throughout the stories we tell, we forget one thing: the only audience that truly matters is the internal one that knows the difference between fact and fiction. We believe we’re telling stories for the sake of those around us—parents, spouses, bosses, friends, children. However, if we’re doing the storytelling for others, why do we so often end up with plots that hurt the ones around us?
Two signature perspectives make up a common worldview: fate and self-determination. For the fateful person, life has already been determined and scripted. Fateful storytellers find themselves telling incredibly fanciful tales, full of the possibilities they believe life has denied them.
For the self-determined individual, anything is possible. Their stories are filled with extremes, both good and bad, because they can overcome anything or rise to the occasion as life demands. Between these two extremes lies the reality of wanting to effect a certain result, but realizing that many uncontrollable things will impact the outcome.
I focus on the story because it’s the tool we use in our pursuit of life. Politicians tell you a story about how life will be better if you vote for them. Marketers tell you a story about how life will be better if you buy their product. Parents tell you a story about how life will be better if you do what they say. Such stories often get described as “the truth” or “for your own good.” One must not forget that stories come with strings and expectations that may not fit our personal script. One must also not forgot that there’s pieces of truth to value in each story.
Every day, you’ll tell yourself a story that includes parts of other people’s stories. The trick is to remember that it’s just a story, and tomorrow there will be another one to take its place.
by Britt on January 28, 2010
Maybe I’m more tired than I realized or maybe it’s just been too long since I last posted.
I forgot my password.
More than the date of my last post, this loss of memory brings home how long it’s been since I’ve put my words on the screen. For the last few months, I’ve been tied up writing words for others. Along the way, I think I forgot that I needed my own. With that in mind here’s a brief review of some of the things that have tickled the edges of my mind during the last three months:
- Please tell me I’m not the only one that wishes the Democrats told the Republicans to go ahead and filibuster. Mind you, I have little liking for the health plan (doesn’t really fix the problem), but I have even less liking for the threats of bullies.
- Does the Christmas plane bomber feel surreal to anyone else? Smuggling explosives in underwear seems like a risky venture. What’s even more surreal is the notion that we’ll somehow be safer by stripping people via x-ray. Maybe I’m simple minded, but I always thought it better to ferret out an airplane plot before the plotter arrived at the airport. I’ve been through airport security enough to realize that TSA peeps are trying to do their job, but they’ve been handed an impossible mission. We all make mistakes at our jobs because we’re human. To think the TSA (or x-ray machines) won’t make a mistake creates a false sense of security. Whenever I enter a scanner in the future, my thought will be, “How much real intelligence could this thing pay for?”
- Does anyone really believe that Google’s threat to pull out of China wasn’t somehow connected to less than desired profits versus the attempts of hackers? Maybe I’m cynical, but I doubt that recent events are really the first time someone has attempted to hack the email accounts of people China likes to watch.
- I want to believe that out of the tragedy in Haiti good things can happen. But what are the odds that the people who need the help and donations the most will fall to the bottom again?
- Ben Bernanke, by the slimmest margin in history, was confirmed for a second term as Fed chairman. Now, whether you blame the man for the downfall of America or praise him for avoiding a second Great Depression, the fact remains that not reconfirming him would have made the market take a tumble. No matter how populist you are, your 401k would still take a hit (again). It’s very easy to say that he aided and abetted all the decisions that led to the financial meltdown, but we participated, too. You really want to remove the guy who seems to have a semi-decent handle on what’s happening from the steering wheel? Politicians trying to duck the target aimed at their back by pinning it to Bernanke’s seem hypocritical at best.
- For all that I’m not an Apple fanboi (or grrl, in this case), I was surprised at how little was surprising about the long-awaited iPad (besides the name). Maybe Apple set the bar too high, but the iPad seems like much less of a game changer than say the iMac or iPhone. Perhaps developers will turn it into something amazing, but if the iPad represents the future of Apple…
I’ll probably write in more detail about these topics and others in the weeks to come, but it seemed time to prime the pump.
