What’s Your Story?

by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.jennifer aniston gerard butler
www.bodylovewellness.com

While flitting around on the internet, I came across a gossip column post that started like this:

“Jennifer Aniston has a new man in her life.  The unlucky in love actress, 41, is reportedly dating 30 Rock actor Jason Sudeikis.”

As I read this, I thought, is she unlucky in love or really fricking lucky in love?

It must be pretty terrible to lose your partner to someone else, particularly with a breakup as public as hers and Brad Pitt’s.  That being said, since back in the mid-90’s, she’s been linked to some really attractive and talented guys, from comic actors like Vince Vaughn, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis, to actors known for their handsomeness, like Brad Pitt and Gerard Butler, to famous musicians like Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows.

I can’t help but think that if Jennifer Aniston were a man, the stories we would hear about her would be more akin to what we hear about Brad Pitt’s buddy, George Clooney.  Like Ms. Aniston, he’s a rich, successful movie star who dates a lot.  Unlike Ms. Aniston, no one would ever think that he’s been “unlucky-in-love.”

Seriously, I think  many of you reading this would love to be as “unlucky-in-love” as Jennifer Aniston.

That’s the amazing thing about storytelling.  The way the storyteller decides to characterize an event or a series of events is often more important than the event itself.  The gossip mags can tell you she’s been unlucky in love, or that she’s a woman who seems to effortlessly become involved with interesting, attractive men.  Perhaps the former story sells more copies, but I’d so much rather read the latter.

The same thing applies to your own life.  Most of us have been through troubling times, difficult experiences, bad relationships, illnesses, sadness, grief.  But since you’re reading this post you’re still alive to tell about it.  The question is, what story do you want to tell?

I’m not saying that you should deny the difficult events of your life.  But the fact that you survived is also a wonderful story to tell.  And that story, the story of the way you came through a difficult situation, found resources within yourself or outside of yourself, gleaned from that experience what you wanted and what you didn’t want going forward — that is a story that can inspire you and others to heal and grow.

So I’ll ask you again, what story of your life do you want to tell?  What past experiences do you want to heal and grow from by telling a new story where you acknowledge the awful truth and your amazing capacity to survive?  What parts of your story that have been weighed down by judgments like “unlucky in love” do you want to rewrite in order to acknowledge the wholeness of your choices and experiences?

If you’ve got a story to retell, I invite you to do so in the comments section below. I can’t wait to hear it!

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Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.


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5 thoughts on “What’s Your Story?

  1. HI Golda! I really liked this post. I usually love to tell myself ad nauseum how unsuccessful I am, how the story of my life reads: “Romantic Dreamer who No One Likes”. I like to focus on my lack of everything. I wish I was as “unlucky” as Jennifer dammit! lol. But at least I can see that while I have never had as many lovers as her, I made the choice to wait for well-adjusted guys and not just go after the many “men” who make disrespecting remarks when I walk by on the street. This post gives me the courage to change my story to “Woman Who Knows What She Wants and Never Gives In to the Madness”. This post brightened my day. Peace and Love…

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