3 Simple Steps to Create a Narrative for Living

We all tell ourselves a story of how things were, are, or should be. Taking inventory of this narrative we're choosing to live by determines how we step into the days of our lives.

When I was a teenager who had recently immigrated to the United States, I would tell myself that I was in the land of opportunities and that I needed to make the most out of my high school experience to get into college and achieve success. This narrative helped me to get through different seasons and I think it's alright if it's no longer one that I'm choosing to live by. Now, my narrative centers more on acceptance of what is.

In this blog post, I hope that you'll find practical ways to create a philosophy for life. If you believe you already have this, keep on reading anyway to get a new pair of eyes on your life's narrative.

Step 1: Know What You Have Been Through

Knowing what you've been through is a precious form of self-awareness and power. The fact is that you've survived every difficult day in your life and that gives you the strength to keep going.

How you choose to look at the events from your childhood, adolescence, or adulthood will color the perspective you take on life. So, it's not only important to know what you've been through but to have the best filter possible on how you look at your past.

The hurtful things you've survived, the best times of your life, and the moments of pure comfort. All of these experiences have a common thread, like a higher power, relationship, value, or something else that's overarching. If you can figure out what that comment thread is, you're in awesome shape to create your trellis--the framework from which things grow.

Step 2: Know Where You Are

We can misuse so much time and energy by wishing to be somewhere else or regretting something that already happened. The present moment holds so much richness if we just remain open to opportunities like appreciating beauty, going slowly and steadily, learning something new, or showing up with a good attitude.

After you have an uplifting or useful narrative for where you came from, it's time to see how it relates to where you are right now. This second step is the most practical one in determining your narrative for living.

If we accept that we're exactly where we need to be in this moment, we can grow into who we are meant to be with more peace.