The Story Diary

Twenty Ways to Change Your Story

1. Keep a Story Diary

As somebody who has been through the diet routine many a time in my life, I know that nothing can help me to change my eating habits quicker than keeping a food diary. The primary instruction for a food diary is, “if you bite it, write it.” Writing down every single thing I put in my mouth is a real eye-opener!

I know which foods are good for me and which aren’t, but a lot of junk can slip in there if I’m not paying attention. If I have to write it down, it keeps me honest and forces me to pay attention. All that unconscious junk food eating becomes very clear when I can see it on paper in black and white. I become more aware of the poison I’m feeding myself. Then I can decide if I want to keep doing that or make a new choice.

It’s no different with stories.

Oh, the poison stories we feed ourselves!

Non-stop. Unconsciously. Day in and day out, during all our waking hours. And we can’t change those stories until we become aware of them.

So instead of tracking what we put IN our mouths, what if we tracked what comes OUT of them? What if we kept a Story Diary?

If you tell it, spell it. If you think it, ink it.

Like a food diary is for tracking what we eat, a Story Diary is for writing down the stories we’re telling about ourselves. Maybe we can’t write down every single thought we think and word we say throughout the day, but we can start paying more attention.

Here are a few things to track in your Story Diary. It’s not about changing anything yet, just becoming more aware and mindful of current habits. Future posts in this series will address shifting many of these.

• Track how many times a day you complain. Take note of any common themes.
• Track how many times a day you feel and/or express gratitude. Take note of any common themes.
• Track how many times a day you say, “but”.
• Track how many times a day you say, “should”.
• Write down all the things you say “I can’t” to (out loud or in your head).
• Write down any positive, affirmative statements you say (out loud or in your head).
• When your Inner Critic goes on a rampage, write down all those negative statements.
• Extra credit: Sometimes we are deaf to our own stories. Ask a friend (a true friend, not someone who will tear you down) to gently point out what kind of self-defeating things they hear you say often. Add these to your Story Diary.

You get the idea. This is not about judgment or criticism; it’s simply a tool for observation and awareness. How much verbal poison are you feeding yourself each day? And how much of what you say is nourishing? How well does your current story, as documented in your Story Diary, align with the kind of story you’d like to be living?

Stay tuned for part three in this series tomorrow . . .

Until then, treat yourself gently and pay attention to the stories you feed yourself.

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This is the 2nd post in a 21-post series sparked by Chapter 9 of Fallen, The Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, in which Lizard suggests that Alora change her story.

#20WaysIn20Days, #ChangeYourStory, #Fallen