What I’m Thinking About:
Humans rely on collections of stories to understand how everything works. Rarely are stories fully accurate, but they’re suitable enough. Of course, stories can be told in multiple ways. The ultimate superpower is realizing you control your own story.
There’s the kind of person who is always the victim in any story they tell. Always on the receiving end of some injustice. There's the person who is always kind of the hero of every story they tell. There's the smart person; they deliver clever twists.
There are many versions of this. You must be very careful about how you tell these stories because they start to become you. The narrative you craft shapes who you are, and who you will become. Michael Lewis, the author of Moneyball, decided to adopt the narrative that he’s the happiest person anybody knows. “It is amazing how happy inducing it is.”
The story you tell yourself and allow yourself to believe will shape you over the long term. Elevate your inspirations. Embody your aspirations. Figure out what stories your role models tell themselves. Incorporate them into yours. Take ownership in crafting your narrative. You decide who you want to become.
Quote:
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. – Alex Banayan (The Third Door)
Links:
Pixar discusses how NASA hires masters of failure (YouTube).
A Question:
What's the most useful thing you could be doing right now?
- Grant