Do you know how the story ends?

Neither do I.

But who cares?

A satisfying ending is not the same as a happy ending. Consider how many a happy Hollywood ending has ruined an otherwise fantastic movie… and how some of the most satisfying works have gut-wrenching endings that leave you in tears. (Lassie, anyone? Romeo and Juliet, anyone?)

The same is true for people. Not that you need to be a martyr or a tortured soul, but the heroes, legends, and artists who stand the test of time tend to be the ones who focused on the story of their lives more than the happiness of the ending. They stayed focused on the bigger picture, and if they thought of themselves as the stars of the show, they nonetheless remembered that the star was but one role in a massive production.

Washington. MLK. Lincoln. Mother Theresa. These people did not chase dollars, the trappings of success, or “happy endings.” They chased life. They created the lives they wanted to live and they lived them. They stayed in the moment, chasing their passions and letting their stories unfold. They shaped their world, but stayed true to their story while doing so. Washington is a perfect example: he seems to have been a shrewd politician, yet his story was the birth of America, and when presented with the opportunity for unprecedented personal power, he turned it down. Heroes remember why they are here, and never confuse their own “happiness” as the reason for their existence.

Look at the story of your life. How is it unfolding? Is it the kind of story that people would care about?

Does it have a compelling protagonist?

Or are you uncommitted, boring, and afraid to do anything that might steer you, even temporarily, away from that happy ending you so desperately think you want? Are you settling for this because you think you need a safe ending? Have you forgotten that in the most famous movie love story on screen, the guy does not get the girl?!

It’s time to put everything you’ve got into your story. If you don’t like how it’s unfolding, OK… keep going. Work the script over and over and over again, until your very last breath.

Because unless you’re already dead, you’re still somewhere in the middle of your story.

Stop trying to guess what happens next, no one knows how this thing ends.

So do what you can to make things unfold as you’d like, and then take what comes and

enjoy the story.

Posted under Self-Development, Personal