As human beings, our world is guided by story. We are the only creatures that use concepts like money, religion and culture to shape our lives and dictate our reality. A chimp, for example, could never see a 20 dollar bill as anything other than the paper in front of him. Yet to us, that same little piece of paper is freedom, success, etc. These stories, being as prevalent as they are, often emerge without our awareness. They are ingrained in not only our actions, but our thoughts and decision making. They insert themselves at the forefront of every situation. Brene Brown in her book, Dare to Lead, calls this the "Shitty First Draft." What she's alluding to is the idea that our first emotive, instinctual reaction is nothing more than a story in our head, based on past experiences and beliefs. "Oh he doesn't like me." "She only cares about herself." "They want me to fail." These initial reactions are often void of reason and prevent us from getting to the heart of a situation and making progress. When we understand that stories make the world go round and people act based on their self-interested narratives, it helps us depersonalize situations and propels us to the endpoints and solutions we want and need.
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