by Tara Joyce | Jan 27, 2016 | Cultural Creativity, Personal Branding, Self/Business Growth
In whatever shape it may take, whenever I hear a story, I find myself wondering how it is serving the person who is telling it. I understand what’s being presented is not the whole story, and perhaps, it’s not even half. It’s the version of the story the storyteller wants to share with me and it’s the version of the story they want to see.
We can have a lot of unconscious motivations and intentions behind the stories we tell, and while it would be lovely to think they are all pure and love-filled, this may not be true. We share stories to share a story—to share a version of events that we feel will be emotionally impactful. It’s not the truth per say, otherwise we might call it that.
I suppose I don’t put a lot of value on my own stories and those of others. They are there to entertain and educate, but to hold them as “the truth” and/or to hold my own experiences up to them in comparison, feels like a fool’s game. A story might sound complete but the truth is, it only contains the parts wanted to be shared, the parts that keep it intact and “true.” The whole truth is far more nuanced and complex than any story can tell.
Stories by their definition and essence are leading. They are meant to take you on a journey where the course has already been planned. We need to see stories as such, for our own health and happiness. We need to know they are not “the truth,” and are not intended to be. They are simply creations of our experience and our imagination, and how we need to perceive things. There is no need to attach to them.
Write your stories. Love your stories. And acknowledge them for “the truth” they are not. See the stories you attract—and are attracted to—for what they are: expressions of you, and how you perceive your world.
photo credit: duncan c
by Tara Joyce | Jan 11, 2013 | Featured, My Journey | What's On My Mind
As this new chapter, a new year, begins I’m considering the story I am writing, and whether the character I’m currently playing is fully embodying who I want to be in the story of my life, now and in the future.
Do you know what an archetype is? Archetypes are universally understood symbols that reflect the collection of characteristics humans share, and that we use to define and group ourselves. An archetypal symbol could be “the hero”, for example.
Every one of us, consciously or not, have identified our Self with one or more of these archetypes. These symbols live within the collective unconscious and these archetypal energies are a tool we use to understand who we are, and what we want to become more of. The personal archetypes that most deeply call to us and appeal to us are essentially the character(s) we have chosen to embody and play in the story of our life.
As the new year unfolds before me and I begin to write a new chapter of my life, I’m considering the archetypes I play and which I want to embody more of. I’ve decided to dedicate myself to my relationship with character – to becoming more of the character I want to play, to having more appreciation and curiosity towards the character of others, and to play more with the type of characters I want in my world and in my story.
Looking at the characteristics and characters that attract you, are you playing with the archetypes that resonate with you most deeply? If you want to explore the world of archetypes further, this is a great overview of the 12 most common archetypes.
by Tara Joyce | Nov 13, 2012 | Cultural Creativity
Everyone around me is a character.
I can experience the characters of my world in the same way I experience characters in fiction. I can care for them, perhaps even love them, but in the end, I can only be a watcher of their story. I am a viewer of their narrative, their plot line, and the archetypes they have chosen to embrace and act out.
The only character within my power is my own.
I do not have to allow anything or anyone outside of me to dictate my reality. I have a choice as to what character I play, and the type of story I reside in. I get to create this. In my story, I get to be in choice, deciding who I want to be and what I want to do, but like when I am watching TV or reading a book, the other characters that live in my story are not mine to control. I only get to decide what the hero does, I only get to decide what I do.
I am the hero of this story.
This means I do not need to be saved, nor do I need to save anyone else. For each and every character has the chance and the choice to be the hero of their story.
