Don’t Tell Yourself Stories (Day 65)

Image Credit: Pixabay

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In my work as a full-time pastor for our church, I’m lucky enough to hear so many stories from so many people, all the time. Over the course of time, I come across a LOT of reruns of people’s stories, and just like that episode of your favorite program, we remember all the inflections, details, and timing. I’m not talking about hearing reoccuring themes in the human experience. I’m talkin’ about the same people telling the same stories. 

The SAME stories. It’s like they’re performing for an audience, and every chance they get to preform, at best, they get the chance to improve the theatrics, or at worst, they’re not being present and simply hitting the autoplay button. 

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In public avoid talking often and excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it’s not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs.”
(Epictetus, Enchiridion, 33.14)

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It’s gratifying to tell the tales of our accomplishments that highlight our talents, however, when those talents come to define our identity, and those accomplishments are linked to our worth, then those stories arise from a place of ego. 

Being with other people presents us with the opportunity to practice “relationshipping”. Like Ryan Holiday says, we must strive to, “... listen and connect with people, (not) perform for them.” (The Daily Stoic, p.76)

(See y'all tomorrow)