Your personal myth is the story you believe about yourself—and it shapes your choices, relationships, and sense of meaning. In this episode, Dr. Ray Calabrese explores Carl Jung’s powerful idea of personal myth and how becoming conscious of your story allows you to rewrite it with purpose, courage, and hope.
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Ken and Jim are driving on the Interstate making good time. The two buddies had been talking about this trip for six months and now it was here. They were heading to Vegas. They planned to spend three days in Vegas and take their wins to California where they’d try to meet some cool surfer girls. They stopped in Kansas City for lunch at a burger joint where they were lured by several road signs that boasted of the biggest burgers west of the Mississippi River. Whoever put the signs up was speaking directly to Ken and Jim. They parked their car, went in and ordered burgers, fries, and milkshakes. They took their food to a booth to discuss a big decision.
Ken: “We got a choice, Jim. We can take I 70 through Kansas, Colorado, and Utah and connect with I-15 into Vegas.”
Jim: “What’s our other choice?”
Ken: “We can take I-35 through Kansas to I-40 in Oklahoma and then take I-40 through Texas and New Mexico and go all the way to Kingman, Arizona, then catch 93 into Vegas. What do you think?”
Ken was driver and navigator. Jim was in charge of music and radio stations and the cooler. It was a combination that worked well for the boys.
Jim: “Best I can remember, Amarillo, Texas, has the 72 ounce steak challenge. You can eat the whole meal including sides, it’s free. I’ve always wanted to try it.”
Ken: “I like i-70 even though we got some big mountains and steep grades to navigate.”
Jim: “Let’s flip a coin. Heads we go your way. Tails my way.”
Ken and Jim? They had their GPS working. You? You’ve got your gut, your values, and hopefully a full tank. Every road leads somewhere—just make sure it’s not a detour you’ll regret. Make good choices and things usually work out. Make poor choices and life can suck. Here’s to good choices. Cheers.
You chose to react.
You chose to feel insecure.
You chose to feel anger.
You chose to fight back.
You chose to have hope.
Shannon L Alder
“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” ― William James
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle
We are responsible for our lives. We become what we repeatedly do, what we read, what we watch, and who we associate with. We have choices to make. Sometimes they are difficult choices. Who do I want to be? How do I want others who are important to me to see me? Figure out the answers to those two questions and direct your life to fulfilling those answers.
We know what we like. Some people will choose coffee other tea. Some will choose a vegetarian meal while others will choose a meat based meal. There’s no good or bad in making these kinds of choices, they’re based on personal preferences. More important, but often pushed to the background ,are our emotional choices. Do I choose to be angry or peaceful? Do I choose to hurt or help people? Do I choose selfishness or selflessness? Do I choose to bring people together or tear them apart? There are important differences. Our choices mark our character, influence our health, and determine our destiny.
There are things most people would do. Most people, for example, won’t put their hand on a hot stove. Most people won’t go outside in a thunderstorm and hold a metal rod high over their head. Most people won’t pick up a rattlesnake. It all makes common sense. We need to apply that same type of common sense to the people we choose to let in our lives. A set of guidelines to apply when deciding whether or not to let a person into your life is, does this person inspire me to be a better person? Does this person encourage me to continue to grow? How does this person treat other people? Don’t be conned. Look closely and make a good decision.
NOTE: Some years ago there was a BBC show called “The Prisoner.” The show developed a cult following and is available on YouTube. The main character, a former spy, is taken to a remote setting called The Village. He is assigned a number. In his case it is Number 6 (his identity). During the entire series he rebels against being called a number. He shouts, “I am not a number, I am a free man.” When we surrender our freedom to make our choices to another (whether it’s a person, cult figure, or media), we become a prisoner. When we make our choices, good or bad, and take responsibility for them we can shout, “I am a free man/woman.”
NOTE: Emerson takes away all excuses. It’s up to us to decide who we want to be. There is a huge difference in choosing between what I want to be and who I want to be. What I want to be is a choice of careers. We pursue the what. Often in pursuit of the what our what changes. Who I want to be refers to something much deeper and intrinsic to our being. Only those close to us and our self know the who I am. Other people see us in terms of what I am. Do I choose to listen to the voices demanding I become more of what I am? Or, do I listen to the internal voice that says, “Who are you? And, who are you becoming?” Take time to reflect on those questions. What would those who are closest to you say?
