Our lives are made up of a compilation of our stories. We have taken great care to create them, cultivate them, and defend them with our entire being. We are attached to our stories because we have been building them since the day we were born. The only problem with this is that we are not our stories. The sooner we come to this realization, the sooner we can regain control of our lives. When we do not consciously dream our lives into being we are condemned to live someone else's nightmare.
     When we feel overwhelmed by life's challenges, we should endeavor to look at our lives in the third person perspective. Taking an outsider’s view helps break the cycle of attachment we have to our stories. When we look outside in, we can better separate our emotions and fears from the situation at hand.
We know that it is easier to see problems and solutions when we are looking at a friend or loved one’s life. This is because there is not the same attachment to the story. Their stories are not our so we can take a more balance approach. We must try to take that same balanced approach when looking at our own lives.
     When we read or watch a story we feel great compassion and caring for a character facing challenges or difficulties. We wish the character well and hope the best for them. But when we look at our own lives how many times have we told ourselves to “buck up” or “grin and bear it.”  Where did the love and compassion go? We have been taught that we should suffer through problems, when in fact, we should consciously change our approach and view the challenge as an opportunity.
     For those of us who have children we know how addictive stories can be. We know a child can watch the same show or movie hundreds of times. This is because they know the story. They know what is coming. There is a sense of comfort in being familiar with something. Even if we do not like our stories, we know them. We are comfortable with them. However, if they no longer serve us and are not for our highest good, they must be courageously released.  Unless we consciously create our lives we will keep reliving the same one over and over because it is what we know.
     We can drain the momentum and energy from our old story and start a new one. We are not our stories. They are our creations and we can choose to create a new story at any moment we choose. The facts may not change but our perspective does.