Write your own turning point.
It is one thing to know your goals and values.
It is something else to have a clear plan of how to move forward.
The clearer is your plan,
The more likely you are to bend reality in favor of your aspirations.
Provided,
Of course,
That you take consistent action on that plan.
You may agree that this is true.
Yet perhaps something inside of you believes that your plans won't matter much.
Your self-doubting mind may remind you that your plans failed many times in the past,
Or may argue that your plans are only a small part of a bigger picture and can easily be overpowered by factors beyond your control.
The doubting mind is very smart.
But not very helpful.
To overcome its limiting thought patterns,
We need to cultivate a deeper understanding of life and of our role in it.
Here's where it's useful to make sure that we have the right metaphor,
The right lenses through which we look at things.
There are many good metaphors we can use for the journey toward our goals,
Yet I find the metaphor of life as a movie or life as a book to be particularly insightful.
Life is a movie.
Write your own ending.
Jim Henson,
American animator and filmmaker.
If your life is a movie,
What is your role?
Are you the author of your own life?
Or simply an actor following a script you didn't write?
Do you have a plan?
Or are you just going about your days,
Hoping that at the end it will all work out and you have lived a great life?
Is your life a comedy,
A drama,
Or an epic adventure?
Do you actively rewrite the script and reinvent your character to improve the story?
These questions can reveal a lot about your self-image and core beliefs,
And show the hidden scripts that run your life.
We are both the author of the story and the main character,
But we are not always aware of this.
Most people are only playing out the role.
And aware of their power.
As our lower mind,
We are the character.
We play the role we have been conditioned to play.
We react to the events of the story,
Living out our personality traits,
Impulses and emotions.
As our higher mind,
We are the author,
The screenwriter.
We choose how the story is ought to unfold.
And what the ending should be.
We decide the traits we will have as the main character.
Where this metaphor partially fails is that in our actual life the character doesn't always follow the script.
In the movie industry,
Such character would lose his job.
In life,
Things keep on going,
But we don't achieve our goals.
Self-discipline bridges the gap between what the writer wants and what the character does,
Making the character perfectly execute on the plan.
If someone else wrote the script.
.
.
This can feel incredibly limiting.
But when you are the one writing the script of your life,
It is empowering.
Exercise.
Write your turning point.
When you leave self-doubt behind and realize who you are,
The writer.
Then you can step into your highest role.
And shape your life as per your aspirations.
Then you are a creator,
Not a creature.
You live inside out.
The movie is already happening.
And there's no second take.
The scenes that have passed,
Have passed.
And cannot be changed.
But once you realize who you are,
You can take the reins of your life and direct it to where you want to go.
In my coaching,
I call this process life blueprinting.
Here are some simple pointers to help you get started.
To get the most out of this exercise,
Make sure you dedicate the time and energy that it deserves.
Sketch your ending.
As Stephen Covey puts it in The 7 Habits,
We begin with the end in mind.
What would be the most epic ending for this story?
Be as detailed as you wish.
What will the main character,
You,
Choose?
Have discovered,
Achieved or become.
How do all the threads of the story come together at the end?
What was it all about?
What impact does your movie create on anyone who watches it?
At this point,
Don't worry about the how yet.
Simply let your heart speak.
Without the mind editing it.
Give wings to your imagination.
Allow your aspirations to emerge and shape the scene.
You have the right to want what you want.
Move backwards.
Now we shift gears and start thinking about the plan.
What needs to happen in the previous chapter so that the main character gets to that point.
What choices were made?
What efforts were put in.
What risks were taken.
What was the thought process and motivation behind it all?
Do so in broad strokes for every scene of the story,
Visualizing a clear chain of cause and effect.
Continuing backwards from the future,
Until you arrive at the present moment where you,
The main character,
Are reading these words and going through this exercise here and now.
The turning point.
Finally!
Figure out what is the turning point for you.
What are the defining moments in your story?
What needs to happen next in your life so that it all unfolds in the direction of your dreams?
That is your plan.
Be as detailed as you can.
Once you know your aspirations and have a plan to get there.
It's all about following the script.
That is self-discipline,
Or living in harmony with your values,
As I define in the Mindful Self-Discipline book.
Life is a movie.
It's true that,
Unlike a screenwriter,
We can't just change the events and people in our life with the stroke of a pen.
But we do have full creative freedom in designing our character.
That is all we need.
Do not underestimate what that can do.
Your doubting mind does not feel very powerful.
It doesn't know what's capable of.
But your higher mind does.
He knows how to design wisely and play well.
