In this episode, we go off 📣 on how to NOT get pulled out to sea by the riptide currents 🌊 of deceitful, delusional, or defeating stories, whether they’re stories from your own head, or from the culture that surrounds you.

Here are some bullet point notes from this episode.

• Stick to the facts, instead of making up a story to ‘fill in the blanks’ of what you don’t know about a situation.

• This minimizes drama.

• Remember, though, that facts include patterns of past behavior. That is,

• All situations happen within a larger context of facts. So keep those in mind, too.

• And one of those facts is: the thing you feel is right for you, and the person you want to be. (eg: if someone’s pattern of behavior includes standing you up 3 times before, and the current fact is they still haven’t shown up for your meeting with them today, you don’t have to make up a story about them being a jerk, or, them being really super sorry and feeling really bad and they’re gonna try harder next time. But, now’s a good time to think about these facts: What do you feel is right for you? Does it feel right to you, to keep dedicating time in your schedule and thoughts and energy, to this person whose pattern of behavior is: “standing you up”?)

• The typical inspirational quotes in our society can easily lead you to assume that you’re 100% responsible for what your life looks like, as if you and you alone have the dignity and power of causation. But other forces, people, and systems also have the power of causation, and they can and do exert it on you, influencing what your life looks like, too.

• And so, you do not have full power to “create your life” and “take control of your destiny.” What you have is the power to influence it.