Greetings!

What story are you living? What story is shaping your life, your work, your relationships?

Each of us -- individually, collectively, and in our livelihoods and organizations -- is living from a set of stories, whether we're aware of them or not.

Often, our stories and 'story lines' were crafted long ago, as a composite of the beliefs, thought patterns, limitations, and 'norms' that we inherited earlier in our lives. While we're called to change, evolve, expand, and grow into our greatest potentials and soul callings, living by our old stories creates barriers and limits that can seem confounding and frustrate our efforts or intentions.

Our current, limiting stories may be constructed from story lines like "This is all that's possible for me" or "This is the way it's always been done" or "I am a victim of circumstance" or "This is a hard, cruel world and you have to fight to survive" or "There is a scarcity of good, so you have to scramble to get yours."

There are more; plenty of them. And each one of these old story lines is profoundly limiting, and rooted in fear and scarcity that exist only in our smallest minds -- these are beliefs we inherited. Each of these is much smaller than your own -- and the greater -- potential for what's actually possible.

If we're not experiencing what we'd like to in our life, livelihood, groups, and organizations; or if we know that there is 'something greater possible', then it's a powerful invitation to create a new story, with more empowering and deliberate story lines.

A powerful exercise, ritual, and practice is to release our old stories -- those beliefs, thought patterns, and ways of approaching things that no longer serve our vision and potentials -- and replace them with new stories that create larger containers in which wonderful new visions and creations have room to grow.

An amazing shift can happen, even from just opening to the intention of releasing and updating our stories -- these plot lines that guide our lives and influence what we believe is possible.

We now know more and more about how our intentions, thought patterns, and beliefs -- whether we believe in limitation or expansive potential -- have an enormous effect on what we perceive and experience.

Indigenous traditions often call this 'dreaming a new dream'; in the Christian tradition it might be explained as 'being renewed by the renewal of your mind'. Buddha said, "All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world."

Our collection of beliefs and thoughts bind together in the stories that shape our lives; we live those stories. Doesn't it make sense to ensure that it's a story we want to be living?

One way of empowering yourself and opening the way for fresh creations, new frontiers, and amazing blessings is to embrace a new story of yourself, your life and livelihood, and life in general.

This works individually, and for a business or organizational group.

These are times when each of us is called to dream a more expansive, loving, creative dream. It all begins within us; this is what Gandhi meant by 'be the change you wish to see in the world."

Expand your story; expand your dream; experience a greater joy, beauty, Love, grace, and potential. Dare to be amazed. Write a new story.

Sincerely,
Jamie Walters
Author, Big Vision, Small Business, and Founder, Ivy Sea

Until next time...

Need a thought-and-inspiration partner to help identify limiting stories and create a more vibrant one? Send us an email at info 'at' ivysea 'dot' com. We'd be delighted to co-create and thought-partner with you.

Wishing you very well.

Sincerely,
Jamie S. Walters
Founder, Ivy Sea
Creatrix and Publisher, Ivy Sea Online & the Sophia's Children Blog
Author, Big Vision, Small Business (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)