Wednesday 18 April 2012

If you could write the movie of your life...


Life as a story is not a new idea.  One of my best friends often says: ‘When they come to make the movie of my life, this will be what happens,’ followed by some ideal way things turn out. 

Don Miller is a favourite writer of mine and he talks about the idea of ‘living a better story’.  He says characters in stories always want something and have to overcome some obstacle to get it.  Those are the exciting stories, the page-turners that capture the attention: will our hero make it?  Will s/he overcome?

No –one wants to read a story about someone in a dead-end job who sat at home, watched TV, played X-Box games and ate take-out meals all their days.

Not unless that ‘someone’ suddenly decided to get up and do something, to go after some ambition, some prize.  Then we might start to take notice.

I miss 'my' Leamington, but I'm living an adventure (sort of)...

My struggles with living in Nottingham are well documented.  But do I regret the move?  Not really.  Sure, I wish I was still in Leamington, but it’s a more exciting story to up and leave, to get out of that ‘Comfort Zone’.  I’m chasing multiple dreams here.

All good stories have ups and downs; sometimes the characters struggle.  Things don’t happen immediately or else there’d be no story.  As long as we’re alive, the story isn’t over; we’re only part way through the adventure.

In the movie of my life, I’ll make the move from Leamington and amazing things will happen as a result.  I’m glad I’m living that movie, taking part in the adventure, even though I’m still waiting to be amazed.

So start that novel, apply for that job, do that course, pick up that paintbrush.  Whatever it might be for you, isn’t it better to go for it in reality, rather than it just be some Hollywood dream? 

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