Everything That Everyone Says About Me is True

I’ve been told that I am corny. It’s true, and I am also extraordinarily serious.

I’ve been told that I am happy. It’s true, and I also sob in despair.

I’ve been told I’m slow. It’s true, and I also move at lightning speed.

I’ve been told I’m cold. It’s true, and I am also very warm. (Did you think I was going to say hot? I was on the verge. LOL)

When people tell me what they think of me, I listen as they tell me the story they have created. It’s all true to them. Everyone has different stories. They are all true to the teller.

When someone tells you what they think of you, that’s what you are hearing: what they think. What people think is their truth. It might be true to you too, it might not.

• You don’t have to believe someone else’s story of you.
• You don’t have to argue with someone else’s story of you.
• You get to write your own story.

Sweet Honey in the Rock has a beautiful song called “Wanting Memories.” Here is the gorgeous opening line: I am sitting here wanting memories to teach me to see the beauty in the world through my own eyes.

Ahhh. Yes. See the beauty in the world through your own eyes.

Sure, feel free to listen to the stories people tell about you (or don’t). Often, what they will say is something you have also thought about yourself. What people say is true to them. But, you alone get to decide:

Is it true for you?

I cold and I am warm. I am scared and I am brave. I am beautiful and I am ugly. I am slow and I am fast. I am smart and I am oblivious.

Every day, I make up stories about who I am. I make up stories about who you are. I make up the story of the people I work with and the people I’m friends with and the people I love. I decide what is true about everything.

Beautiful storyteller: What stories are you telling? Do you love them? You get to choose, over and over and over again. Every day and every moment, you get to craft the narratives of your life.

Today, tell a great story about yourself. Tell a story where you are doing the best you can. Tell a story about how you are kind and courageous and funny. Tell a story where you allow people to have their own truths without ever doubting yours.

Beautiful reader: Write an incredible story of you. Stick with it. It is so. very. true.