How often is our story defined by the words we use to tell it? This powerful video illustrates the concept that words create worlds. As a coach, I am often helping my client understand the power of this. In The Art of Coaching, Elena Aguilar shares some coaching stems to help a client work through a rut story that they may be telling: I hear you making some assumptions about this situation. Could we explore that? What are other ways to view what happened? How you see yourself or what happened is one possible interpretation. What are other possible interpretations that might be more inspiring, empowering, or accurate? How can we cultivate resilience in those we work with by having them reflect on the stories they tell?
One of the habits in Onward is to tell empowering stories (Chapter 3). Think about the stories that you tell. Do they help create the world you want to live in? How can you craft new stories? One strategy from Onward is to practice visualization. I started working with visualizations when I was training for my first marathon. The narrative in my head was that I was not a runner and there was no way I was going to be able to actually run 26.2 miles because that was an insanely long way to run. But after practicing visualization, my story started to change. I was able to create such a positive experience of the race before I even stepped up to the starting line. I visualized myself at each mile, the smile on my face, the music playing, the other runners supporting each other, and by the time race day came, my story had changed. I knew I was going to complete the race. I honestly didn’t think there was any other option.Our words create worlds. How can you craft a new story for your life?