Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something you own.
- Michelle Obama
What does it mean to be the Star in your own life?
When you were little, did you pretend to be your favorite movie star or action hero?
What if I told you that those same actions you took as a little kid could help you become the hero…yes, the Star…in your life today?
I used to stand in front of my mother’s big round dressing table mirror and pretend I was being interviewed by Johnny Carson. I held my hairbrush like a microphone and gushed to Johnny about when the writing bug bit me, about the poetry in my song lyrics, or the inspiration for the play’s dynamic character development.
I had this vision that I’d make an impact on the world, you see. Whether the rest of the world believed in me yet, that was an entirely different matter.
I grew up, and it did matter whether anyone believed I’d accomplish what I dreamt of doing. When others doubted my abilities, so did I.
However, I kept dreaming. And I kept on pretending. This time, I pretended I was happy with what everyone else thought I should be happy within my life. Pretending a One Year Secretarial Certificate was what I was meant for instead of studying literature after high school.
I kept dreaming. My dream of being a wife and mother did come true. I =t took patience and flexibility in how it eventually happened. Infertility put us on a different path. We adopted a beautiful baby girl who grew in my heart instead of under my heart.
No more pretending that I was a mom. That dream was realized. I was the Star of our little family baking cookies, sewing ice skating/dance costumes, and attending school activities.
But that was only part of my role. I was great at the supporting role. And I knew there was more for me than just another character in my own life.
Do you ever feel you are playing a role where someone else is the Star? That you are a supporting player?
What if you knew how to be the Star in your own life as well as fulfilling your dreams to be the person you were designed to be?
No, I don’t have a crystal ball.
Nor am I secretly a Hollywood movie producer.
And no, I’m not your fairy godmother who will wave a magic wand to make all of your dreams come true.
You are the one with the magic wand. It’s at the end of your fingertips when you pick up a pen to write.
I am someone who believes adamantly in the power of the pen.
You can rewrite your story to be the Star of your life.
If things are not happening that you don’t like, you can change them.
Yes, I said you can change them.
Ok. Ok. I realize there is a lot we can’t change—the weather, for instance, gravity or the seasons. Yet, there are many, many opportunities where you and I can directly influence the outcome.
Such as?
How about your attitude?
How about your behavior?
How about who you spend time with?
After my second breast cancer diagnosis, I decided that I’d make myself a priority in my life. My recovery depended on me rewriting my story. Writing has always been a way for my head to communicate with my heart. Since going through this life experience has become even more important as a healing tool in processing the messages I am here to deliver to the world.
I’m here to say that although you may not know it yet, you have a message to deliver to the world as well.
Calm down. Take a breath. I am not suggesting that you are destined to take up the mantle of “writer.” I am inviting you to consider Michelle Obama’s quote from the beginning of this piece. Journaling is how you start to own your story.
Journaling is a simple way for you to discover your story. Putting pen to paper is a fantastic way to receive messages from your soul by simply being open to receiving a daily download.
Don’t worry about having a beautiful leather-bound journal or that you won’t know what to say. I guarantee that all you have to do is keep your hand moving across the page. It doesn’t matter if you use a spiral-bound notebook or a beautiful flowery journal. The important thing is that you show up on the page every day for at least five minutes. Setting a timer for those five minutes keeps you from looking at the clock during the writing session. The idea is to write. Don’t think about if you misspelled something, wonder if you needed a comma or semi-colon. Write. And keep writing for a solid five minutes.
As for wondering what to write, here’s one suggestion:
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
1. 1.
2. 2.
Oh, yes. Make it fun. I use different sizes of notebooks and colored fast-writing pens. If lighting a candle or playing soft music will
You Are the Star in Your Story
RHG MagazineTM - July 2021 © All rights reserved.