There are many ways to tell a story.

Socially, we abbreviate stories and reduce people to good vs. bad, light vs. dark.  We use story shorthand, text each other short messages and leave out the emotion between the lines.

The more we lose touch with the story of our lives, I feel, the more generic and frightfully plain the world becomes.

Words + Stories.  These are the building blocks of reality.  Today, I encourage you to become more of a wordsmith and a storyteller.  A journal-keeper.  A keen observer.  Today is all about using words and stories to design and empower your life!

Become more clear about how you feel.

The more clear you are about your feelings the more your world goes from a fuzzy haze to a very well-crafted work of art.  Even “negative-sounding” emotions have a lofty place in your life  Let yourself express them. Name them. Use them.  This wheel above can prompt more specific emotional-naming.

So: If you look at the wheel above, inferior is a feeling that branches off from depressed.  While it is somewhat a puzzle to extricate yourself from a general depression, its way easier to see how you can work your way out of feelings of inferiority that are creating depression.

Words are tools to create life.  Embrace them.

Tell stories as they happened, as you see them, in full color.

We have a collective tendency to tell stories from our life where we are the hero or we are the victim, but rarely do I meet people who tells stories objectively… with complexity…. with clarity.

For example: 

It is easy to say “my ex-boyfriend is a total psychopath.”

It’s harder to tell the actual story of how he really made you feel breathlessly alive and you wondered if that was healthy because he was so erratic and perhaps even dangerous.  Until one day, you asked him a question and he decided you were too emotionally expensive for him.  He hung up,  kicking you out of his life without even a thought.  Punished for speaking up, you can never see yourself wanting to openly express your feelings, even though you know its the right thing to do.  Everything is still a little scrambled. It’s hard to breathe sometimes, thinking about it.  You are sure you did the right thing, but the bitterness and selfishness, complete lack of empathy on his behalf, are still too hard to bear.  Why do we get punished for doing the right thing…or …was this rejection an act of protection from the Universe?

See the difference?

On that note, read more memoirs and biographies.  

Biographies, memoirs, documentaries, performance art, film, painting, theater pieces… all story.

The memoir Love Junkie by Rachel Resnick is an act of courage.

I can’t walk away from it.

Truth in storytelling hits home with everyone, regardless of their upbringing or history.

Seeking stories can be as much of a pull in life as listening or telling them.

Have you ever met a con-man or con-woman?

You are sucked into the mystery of their very thin story, devoid of biographical detail, not quite clear, not quite whole.  The longer you know them, the more disconnected you feel from them… yet compelled toward them to unearth their hidden story. Of course, these people will probably never tell you the truth, but the want to hear their stories is profound.

I read almost every biography and memoir I can get my hands on… and the ones told in truth are the ones that wake me up much more to humanity.

All this said, my question to you today:

Is there a story you have been telling yourself or others that is very flimsy and far from the honest truth? 

The more you are willing to re-visit the stories you tell and strip them down to clarity, the more brilliant your life will become.  With a mind and a history weeded of vagueness, delusion and confusion, you have no idea how much more powerfully you can create things today and every day.

And, so, an idea for the day:

Write your life story on a single page. See what that brings to light for you.

And, look at your home.  

Of course, your house tells a story in its design.  To a trained eye, or a sensitive person, every home explains the nuanced story of the people who live there.

You can re-write the story of your own home with some simple switches, too.  My DIY e-guide to feng shui HERE will walk you through the process of re-designing a bright & exciting future! 

xoxo Dana

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And, if you want to dive in to your own personalized feng shui in a modern, practical way, Say hello to Feng Shui 101.  Its the guide I made for you to create your own personalized feng shui at home, in the office, wherever you may be… in 8 weeks.  It’s not filled with strict rules or what you “must” do.  Its filled with information, questions, exercises and even videos and classes to help you confidently create amazing spaces with killer feng shui and live with more flow.   Learn more about the 8-week feng shui adventure & grab your copy to get started right HERE…   And, as always, please let me know what happens!