As a child, I went to six different schools in seven years. What a drag having to always switch schools and never develop lasting friendships. I grew up without a solid father figure in my life. That left a huge emotional hole in my heart with only one parent. I wasn’t taught about the fundamentals of money, saving or investing which prevented me from building wealth at a young age. When I think about those days it is hard to not feel sorry for myself.
As a child, I went to six different schools in seven years. What an amazing experience to have lived in different places and to have learned how to meet and interact with new people. I grew up without a solid father figure in my life. I appreciated how one parent can really fill that void and made it normal for me. I wasn’t taught about the fundamentals of money, saving or investing, but I was taught how hard work and determination and not expecting handouts will pay off in the long run. When I think about those days it is hard to not feel very lucky.
Two stories about the exact same scenarios with a completely different outlook. I have told those stories to many people throughout the years. How I spin them is completely up to me. I lived each one of the stories in my life, however when you are in the story you can’t really see it. The problem is the stories we tell ourselves influence every aspect of our lives. We identify with them, we become them, and some people may judge us by them.
So a story that seemed to fit years ago may no longer reflect who we really are today. We can re-frame that story and give it a different meaning to us. Feeling sorry for myself for what I referred to as a gypsy childhood no longer serves me. I can’t change the story, shit happens, but what I can do is take away more positive pieces that have made me who I am today and embrace what may or may not have been screwed up.
So maybe your story isn’t all that glorious but it did make you who you are today. Take a look back at the stories and events in your life and see how they serve your current self. You may surprise yourself and realize it wasn’t all that bad and there were many good things that came of it.
I would love to hear some of your stories and how you used to think about them and how they now fit you today. I look forward to your comments…