Creating Space

“We don’t describe the world we see–we see the world we describe. Language, as the single most fundamental force of the human intellect, has the power to alter perception. We think in words, and these words have the power to limit us or to set us free; they can frighten us or evoke our courage. Similarly, the stories we tell ourselves about our own lives eventually become our lives. We can tell healthy stories or horror stories. The choice is ours.”  from What Happy People Know by Dan Baker.

Martha Beck coach Holly Berman recently posted this quote to her online journal.  Here’s what she went on to say about it:

“Buddha states that all is illusion. He is referring to the same property described above. We CREATE our world by how we think about it. We create our own suffering–what Dan Baker refers to as horror stories. This doesn’t mean that “bad” things don’t happen to us even when we tell “healthy” stories. It means that our reaction to it (the words we use to describe it or to think about it, i.e, our “story” about it) determines if we suffer or not. For example, many people would imagine that having Stage IV cancer and undergoing chemotherapy is a horror story. It struck me that way in the beginning. Not any more. I am deeply happy because the way I think about it doesn’t allow it to frighten me or drag me down.

“If I can do this, I know anyone can do this. We just have to have the desire to change our way of thinking, the techniques to do so, and the patience to turtle step our way toward a new way of being in the world.”

Holly has taken cancer and transmuted it to wisdom.  Is there any alchemy stronger than this?

I love how clear her view has become, and wanted to share this with you.  Words shape lives.  Holly has chosen to put words of strength around her situation.  And she is thriving, in what many would consider a terrible situation.

What story are you telling about your life?  Does that story serve you?

You can read more from Holly Berman at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hollyberman.  She is also one of the featured coaches in the upcoming book, Changes of the Heart.  Thirteen Martha Beck coaches each contributed a chapter on a challenge they know well.  (My chapter is about writing.)  The book will be out in December.