Ancient Athenians held women in reverence. They wrote stories about their power, their immovable strength, their capacity to love so deep that it was literally transformative. They saw women as healers and warriors, willing to go to the depths of hell and back again for the ones they loved. Women in their myths were the main characters, not simply the stage hands or at best the side kicks. You are the main character of your life. Not the person you love, your children, your friends or your career. You. And you, and only you, have the power to write the story your character gets to star in.
EXCERCISE
With this in mind, journal from the prompts below.
If you are the author of your life, what pieces of the story you’re living in this moment would you want to emphasis?
Is there a part of you that you want to see more of?
Is there something that you want to do more of?
Are there certain people, experiences, or places that you want to play a larger role?
If you were the author of your life, what pieces of the story you’re living in this moment would you remove?
What is not in alignment with the story you want to write?
What/who is not serving you becoming the best version of yourself?
Who do you want the side characters in your story to be?
If they aren’t in your life yet, what type of people do you want to make space for?
Making space can look like removing people that aren’t serving you becoming your highest self or choosing to push past your fear to allow love in.
If someone were to read your story long after you were gone, what would you want them to read about your life?
Thinking of yourself as the most important person in your life story may feel wrong or uncomfortable, especially if you have lived your life constantly putting others before you, so use this an exercise to see what blocks may be keeping you from living a life you're fully and completely in love with. Do you experience guilt for prioritizing your growth over your partner/parents/friends comfort? Does shame for being “full of yourself” or “egotistical” come up as you state what you truly want for your life? The blocks you notice will teach you just as much as the exercise itself. Side note: I realize that there are certain situations where our obligation to another may feel like a block to us living our fullest life. However I think its important to know that in most cases those people are not actual blocks, it our ideas about how those people would respond that holds us back the most.