Who’s the Star of Your Story?

The only really reasonable answer is YOU

I am a sponge. I love learning and bettering myself. I think that’s why I became a teacher… and why I have never let anything stop me from chasing my goals and dreams. I value education and know that knowledge is the first step to greatness… in any discipline. Now, my eagerness to learn has always led me to ‘follow’ people who are more knowledgeable than myself. It wasn’t until just recently that I realized this passion I had for dedicating myself to others was also my greatest demise.

You see, up until now, I allowed others to be the star of my story. Everything I did was for someone else. I was so quick to brag on or push someone else’s book… and this wasn’t just one person… its was several over the years. I was so thankful for the opportunities to learn from these people that I gave up myself to watch them succeed… to watch their stories take off. I allowed myself to feel like their approval and belief in me was the only way to be happy and successful… that what they thought of me defined me. Saying it now… that’s absolutely ridiculous!!! Now… please don’t take this as me regretting the time I spent supporting those I look up to. I do not regret a second of the time I put into others and their stories… in fact, I still support them wholeheartedly while I’m over here doing my own thing. But I wish I’d paid closer attention to my own true happiness at the time as well.

I stopped to see a friend I haven’t seen since my world turned upside down and then right side up again. She took one look at me and her face broke into a smile. “You look so happy.” That’s when it hit me. I am. I am SO happy. And of course, because this is what I do, I started to reflect on why. Why, after the past few months of discord, am I happier than I ever have been in my life? The last few months I’ve lost things that I thought were the secret to my happiness. The irony in this is that losing those things hasn’t changed anything. I’m still experiencing the same, if not more success, I’ve gained things that I never would have even thought to write into my pages, and, for the first time in my life, I’m doing things for me. I’m starring in my own story. I’m truly happy.

I think we often forget to look out for number one. Especially those of us with big hearts. As I talked about in my post about taking ownership of our successes, I hate disappointing people. I hate people thinking that I’ve used them or taken advantage of them. Do you know how long those feelings held me back from building my own empire??? I was literally terrified that if I stepped out on my own, someone would think I had used them to discover my own greatness. Typing that out sounds ridiculous too! You should NEVER be worried to do you! I should never have been scared to do me! But I was. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that someone reading this is too.

Everyone we meet has an impact on our book. It’s important to give them credit for the part they play, but don’t let them be the star. Take control of your story…. you’re the only one who deserves a starring role.