Imagine your life is a book and you are the author.

Imagine the power this gives you, the freedom to write the story you really want – complete with your own daring ending.

‘We are the authors of our own lives.
We write our own daring endings’

Brené Brown (Manifesto of the Brave & Brokenhearted)

When you release your imagination and allow it to take flight, wonderful things become possible. Follow these 6 prompts to get creative with your own story.

1. You can choose the setting

where will you thrive, grow to your full potential and feel enriched?
where will you be able to find your own natural rhythm and pace?
where in the world will offer you stimulation, interest and feed your curiosity?
where will boost your energy, warm your bones and feed your heart?

If these questions are too big – and the best questions always are – trying answering each for what has been true in your life so far. Where have you felt at your best?

Then move on to where you would choose:

if money was no object
and if all practical considerations dissolved into thin air

This flight of fancy is incredibly important. Trust me. By flying with this dream, you’ll unearth important features of your ideal location. You’re the author remember, you can worry about how the plot develops later. First you need to understand what environment will nourish the beating heart of your narrative.

2. You can choose your leading character

Who is the hero of your story?

Which version of the multi-faceted YOU will drive the plot forward, make bold moves to create what she truly wants?

· Is it the curious you – the avid learner who shone at a topic but never took it any further?

· Or the capable professional who was able to adopt a credible persona in a recognised field – even when it really didn’t feel like her?

· Or the arty one who still plays with colour or design?

· Or the physical one who loves to hike, run, climb and dance?

· Or perhaps the world explorer – even though there are still many places left on her bucket list?

· Or the mother whose kids have grown, flown and ready to reconnect with her deepest desires?

· Or the strong one whose resilience and determination will overcome whatever life throws at her?

Who will you be in your own story? You have full permission to dream and reconnect with the one you want to write this story for. Who would you like to spend more time with, to make happy and fulfilled?

Trust yourself and choose YOU at your very best.

3. Select the genre

Is this to be a travelogue? A romance? A mystery, fantasy or adventure? Will it perhaps be a self-help book or a collection of short stories? It might mix and match, taking a flavour from more than one of these genres.

Be creative. This is your one and only life, unique to you. How good can it be?

When you find your genre, you find an important clue to what this story is for and some of the conventions it might follow. And also the rules you might want to break.

And don’t forget that you’re free to choose and also mash them up – which appeals most strongly? Where will your protagonist actually find happiness?

(Mine’s a travel / romance / self-help mix – what’s yours?)

4. Think about the story-line

A story arc at its most simple includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. This is about progression and sequencing and might include:

perhaps a relatively calm beginning
a middle where challenges, conflict and tension mount, where tests are overcome and new obstacles appear
then finally an ending where the conflict is beautifully resolved.

Think about your life so far. You can’t know when to expect the end, but admitting there will definitely be one is a great way of concentrating attention on your role as the author of this plot. Who has been doing the plotting in your life so far?

It’s possible that it might look something like this:

1. BEGINNING: Birth, childhood and adolescence

The authors were your parents, with you as the emerging protagonist occasionally grabbing the pen from their hands to add a twist or to experiment

2. MIDDLE: Early adulthood

You have the pen in your hand now, but occasionally or for long periods of time, you hand it over to friends, teachers, lovers, parents and your boss

3. MIDDLE: Later adulthood

You may forget there is a pen

4. ENDING:

How do you want this story to end?

Whatever you do, take back possession of the pen and use it!

4. What’s the mood music?

Will your story be a fast-paced action thriller, a tense psycho-drama or a laid back coming of age story?

Will it be lyrical, dynamic or fizzing with creative energy?

Ask yourself what kind of atmosphere you require to be at your best. Perhaps you need some tension in order to get plans going, or some extended quiet time to reflect and dig deeper?

But whatever you choose, don’t forget, there are always other moods you can create when you’re the composer of this piece.

At times, I’ve needed the urgency of immediate circumstances and at others it’s been important to carve out a pause and very intentionally, choose the atmosphere that brings out the best in me.

It was when I realised I desperately needed a space to press pause and mark an important transition in my life that I created the self-guided retreat: INSPIRED - Starting Again with Confidence.

You actually have more control over the pace of your life than you may think, and step one is simply to think about your unique optimum conditions. They won’t necessarily be the same as those your partner or friends need. Don’t try to fit in or prioritise their needs over your own, but create a space where you authentically belong.

Think about the best doses of these vital components that together create your signature conditions for a happy life:

Pace - fast, slow, or varied

Tension - constant push or occasional pressure

Relaxation - enough time and space to create and do

Creativity - being able to tap into your imagination

Positivity - re-framing, using new perspectives and optimism

Autonomy - take back control of the pen

People - the best supporters to have in your corner

Emeralds symbolize.png — What do you need to be most productive?

5. What are the big themes?

Stand well back for a minute and consider these questions:

What are the important messages and lessons in your life so far?

What inspiration do you want to share?

These themes will be woven throughout the story, will find voice, then maybe fall away while others emerge. But they will always have importance, be essential to who you really are and your life purpose.

Some of the big themes across my three (main) careers have been:

· Helping others to grow, dream and expand possibilities in their lives

· Teaching door-opening skills and subjects

· The power of reading, connecting the dots and understanding

· Love – of a subject, a cause; individuals who I love and who love me

· Re-creating what isn’t working (which often meant being braver than I felt)

You might have a clear idea of your life themes so far – the important threads you have woven into your own story. These might be based on values, they could stem from passions and strengths, or the kind of difference you want to make in the world.

If you have no idea about your themes so far, try my Joining the Dots resource to find your own golden thread. Just contact me for your free copy.

And for the book of your life, what is the ultimate theme you want to illustrate?

By bringing this out into the open, you’re thinking about meaning; about what your life is for and then taking conscious decisions. What would you love to be remembered for?

If you don’t think about that, there may be a chance that your requiem will be ‘caused no inconvenience to anyone.’

Yes, writing your own life story is about nothing more nor less than choice and intention

You finally have the pen back in your hand.

What will you write?

I’d love to hear in the comments….

And if you’ve answered some of these questions and want to make sense of them, why not arrange a free 30-minute Discovery Call to uncover what your next steps can be as the author of a more fulfilling story:

Imagine your life is a book and you are the author. Try these 6 ways to re-write your life.