Can your posture tell a captivating story worth listening to amidst all the noise and chatter we hear all day long?
Why is it so difficult to find a story that captures us and our attention? In a life where noise and chatter surround us, your posture can tell that captivating story.
We all tell our stories every minute of every day through our posture, how we talk, interact with others, how we smile, to name just a few examples. We tell stories of our daily lives, relationships, commitments, loves, fears, and even our desired future.
Emily Esfahani Smith is an international writer, reporter, lecturer. In her TED talk 'There Is More to Life Than Being Happy' and her book The Power of Meaning, Emily Smith talks about her belief that Story Telling is one of the supporting pillars in our lives. And the perspective from which we tell that story determines how we live that life. Our view also determines what others think of us and how happy or unhappy we will be. As we create different narratives, we create different realities and different reasons for telling our stories.
Dr. Dan McAdams. a Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology and Professor of Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University, refers to these as 'redemptive life stories. McAdams says that creating redemptive life stories in adulthood is a good thing. Being mentally capable of creating positive stories about our life helps us make sense of and heal our past and is associated with positive personality traits, happiness and psychological well-being. It is also associated with a dynamic called generativity, your commitment to making the world a better place. And, not coincidently, these concepts are a foundational part of the BLUERISA goal of a Long, Healthy, Happy Life.
In reality, every experience, good or bad, becomes a story which we incorporate into our lives and belief system. The more knowledge and experience we gain, the more our story evolves, and the more we become the generator of the rest of the story, the more that story determines our future. The more positive that story is, the more we redeem negative experiences and celebrate positive ones, the more enlightened, knowledgeable, and mature we (hopefully) become.
But our future is just that, a blank page, an unwritten chapter of our storybook.
And we have the power to make each new chapter an exciting and positive addition to our lives. Remember, we can not change the past (though we can redeem it with a story that frees us from its negative aspects); we can only change the future.
So if you could do one small thing today that might help make a significant change in your story, to make you feel better about yourself, what would it be?
Bluerisa is all about creating a healthy, happy life. We will continually refer to posture as critical to that life and how you nonverbally communicate your story to others. It is how you project your 'best self' to the world; it is your swagger; it is how you feel about yourself. It is that first impression, of which you only get one chance.
My blog series "The Habit of Good Posture" starts with 'The Cost of Good Posture' and includes some introduction training videos explaining how easy it is to have good posture. How to put your best foot forward, show off your swagger, create a great you, and project a positive story every time you walk into a room. Please look at my post, 'The Cost of Good Posture,' and the associated videos. You may find the motivation you need to tell your captivating story.
Please join me, and let's make a positive change in our stories. Let's make good posture a habit.