We are living in turbulent times. The disease has been in the headlines for months on a global scale. We are bombarded with numbers, on a daily basis, of the number of infected and the number of dead. The media spread the mass graves that are being dug in South America. We also see four thousand five hundred trumpeters playing taps at the same time (in their own time zone) in honor of all those who have died during these difficult experiences.

How do you develop your story? What influences you when it comes to the stories you share, retell or embellish? How are you doing with the massive influx of news, each outlet vying for your attention and support? If you follow television, journalists and social networks, you cannot avoid overstimulation. They attack us like children in a classroom, all raising their hands and shouting “Pick me, pick me.”

Humans are sponges. From the moment of our birth we absorb information from our environment. We learn by experience. We observe how others respond to the situation and use that information to form our opinions and strategies for success.

The question we need to ask ourselves is, “Who is writing your narrative?” An actor is given a script to follow. They say the lines given to them. No matter what your opinion is in the real world, actors say what they’re told to say. The narrative on the screen is different from the narrative of one walking the streets.

Twelve-step programs have an important saying: “Take what you need and leave the rest.” There is a belief that emphasizes quantity over quality. The more information you have, the better the decision or action; not always true. If we are not selective in forming our own narratives, we face cognitive dissonance. Have you ever played tug of war when you were a child? Imagine that tension and effort in your mind.

Critical thinking is a skill set that is getting out of hand. We teach children to pass an exam. We have become a society where Pied Pipers lead groups. Unfortunately, if you know anything about the Pied Piper of Hamelin, he pulled rats out of a dock to drain them. Now is the time for individuation. We did it physically and evolutionarily when we were teenagers. We learned to go out into the world and survive.

We live in an age where adaptability is more important than strength. We are forced to filter through the smoke screens and find clarity. Culturally, we are working to develop new strategies for peaceful conflict resolution.

What does your narrative say about you? How are you crafting the story you want to tell and want to live? What impact does your narrative have on the world?

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