{"id":13324,"date":"2011-11-08T04:00:15","date_gmt":"2011-11-08T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=13324"},"modified":"2011-11-08T04:00:15","modified_gmt":"2011-11-08T10:00:15","slug":"change-your-story-change-your-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/change-your-story-change-your-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Change Your Story, Change Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was twenty-nine years old, I became vice president of marketing for Thomas Nelson. It was a huge step up in my career. At the time, I thought I had arrived at the pinnacle of success.<\/p>\n

\"Someone<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of \u00a9iStockphoto.com\/btoldi<\/div>\n

But I was in over my head. Or at least that\u2019s the way it felt. I was just waiting for other people to come to the same conclusion.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I struggled constantly with anxiety and fear\u2014anxiety was the daytime version; fear was the nighttime version.<\/p>\n

This manifest itself in my body in two embarrassing ways: First, I sweat profusely. Second, my hands were always cold\u2014ice cold.<\/em><\/p>\n

Before attending important meetings, I would wear two t-shirts, hoping that I wouldn\u2019t sweat through both. I strategically selected my clothing, based on which colors would show the least amount of perspiration.<\/p>\n

I would also step into the bathroom right before the meeting began, and frantically run hot water over my hands. I would then dry them vigorously, praying that they would warm up. I dreaded<\/em> having to shake hands with anyone.<\/p>\n

At some point, I realized that the problem was not in my body, but in my head. I was telling myself a bad story.<\/em> Mine went like this:<\/p>\n

You are too young for this job. Worse, you don\u2019t have the experience. Who do you think you are fooling? It\u2019s just a matter of time before everyone in the company sees it. When that happens, you will be out on the street\u2014right where you should have been all along.<\/em><\/p>\n

I would never say this out loud, of course. It was just the sound-track that was playing inside my head.<\/p>\n

Things didn\u2019t change until I became aware of the story and took control of the narrative. I started telling myself a different story.<\/p>\n

I think almost every problem we experience can be traced back to the stories we tell ourselves. There may be a good reason for these stories, but in the end they produce bad outcomes.<\/p>\n

It comes down to this: Change your story, change your life.<\/p>\n

Let me suggest five ways to take control of the narrative in your head:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Recognize the voice in your head.<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t matter where it is coming from (your parents, a teacher, an abusive spouse); just recognize that it is happening.<\/li>\n
  2. Jot down what the voice is saying.<\/strong>It might be something like:\n