Defining the Main Character of Your Story
Think of your life as a story with many chapters.
- Some chapters have already been written.
- Some chapters are waiting to be created.
- Think of the possibilities!
You are the main character of your story, and you get to define the parts of you, the aspects of you, you wish to highlight. Consider:
- Where will you put the most emphasis?
- What will you intentionally claim?
Today is your opportunity to begin thinking about the next chapter of your story! Your Going-Forward Story!
You have the opportunity to reflect upon how the main character, YOU, is portrayed.
Describing the main character includes thinking about the personality characteristics as well as the roles played.
Let’s Begin! Start by brainstorming all the parts or aspects of you.
- Step One – Draw a line down a piece of paper.
- Step Two – On the left-hand side, label the column “roles or aspects of me.”
- Step Three – List all the parts of you that come to mind. This could be a parent, spouse, friend, business owner, employee, neighbor, etc. Also, push yourself to list the aspects that are core to you, such as artist, musician, nature lover, gardener, activist, athlete, etc.
- Step Four – Rank order the roles on your list given the time you currently spend in that role or investing in that part of you.
Now, move from a “head” exercise to a “heart” exercise.
- Take three deep breaths and feel yourself grounded in your body.
- Envision yourself getting ready to enter the next Chapter of Your Story.
- Envision yourself claiming your Thriving Life.
- Think about all the aspects of you, the main character, in this next chapter.
- What do you want to claim?
Next, breathe in the essence of you
- As you breathe in, think the words, “I am a…” and as you breathe out, fill in the blank.
- Let the words come from your soul, your spirit.
- “I am a… nature lover.”
- “I am a … learner.”
- Do any new roles or aspects emerge? If they do, capture them in your list in the left-hand column of the paper.
Prioritizing your roles
- Now, in the right-hand column of the paper, move over the roles and aspects you want to claim for this next chapter in your Going-Forward Story.
- Try to write them in order of importance in this column.
- Recognize, that this is an opportunity to think about what you want to emphasize in your life, and what you want to claim intentionally.
Reflecting on what you claim
- Pause and breathe again. Look at the two columns and observe what you notice about the comparison.
- Is there anything about this exercise of listing and ordering your roles and parts you would like to capture in your journal or notebook?
- The next step will be to reflect on what you will do to claim these main character roles in the next chapter of your story.
As we intentionally look at the roles we play and the parts we focus on, we can see our path forward as we move from survivor to thriver.
“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.” – St. Catherine of Sienna
Here’s to Thriving! Tambry Harris
If you like this exercise, you can find it and the whole process of claiming your Going-Forward Story in Awakening the Light: A Survivors to Thrivers Going-Forward Story. Tambry invites readers to hear her story of wounding, healing, and thriving so they can then claim their future life-giving chapters.
Talk To Tambry
I am glad you have taken the time to engage with this blog. Sometimes it is helpful to process new insights that emerge. If you would appreciate brief time with a someone who understands, our Talk to Tambry offering is for you. For 30 minutes, you can receive support from Tambry who is a certified life coach, spiritual director and a survivor who has been on the journey as well. This is offered at a reduced rate of $50.
