You Create Your Reality By Choosing the Stories You Tell Yourself

What stories do you have on repeat?

5 min readApr 29

Have you ever scoffed at the idea that you create your reality? If you have, I don’t blame you. I’ve been there. I’ve been certain that the world I experience is perfectly aligned with the “real” world.

But, humans are storytellers. We create stories for everything. You’ll notice this the next time your mind wanders, which won’t be long from now. Your mind will begin telling you a story about your past or your future, and you’ll believe it. You’ll be completely engrossed by the narrative.

Perhaps this is why we enjoy books and movies so much — they’re reminiscent of the way our minds work.

And just like we enjoy certain kinds of books and movies, our minds prefer to tell certain types of stories, don’t they? Like, when something goes wrong at work, does your mind tell you it’s a disaster? Or, when you’re with your parents, do you find everything they say and do infuriating? Or, maybe your mind is telling you you’re not the type of person who can meditate, exercise, or start a business.

These are all stories.

Why do I call them stories? Because these are things you tell yourself about yourself and the world. They feel right but that doesn’t make them right or useful.

This article will explore the power of stories and how changing yours might change your life.

Stories are powerful

I once told myself a noxious story. It went something like this:

People are terrible drivers, and their intentions on the road are filled with malice. They lack any concern for my safety or goals. Given that these drivers care so little about me, I will return the favour and not care about them. I will exact my revenge upon these drivers by driving exactly as they do: without any regard for anyone at all.

Does that sound like I was nuts? Well, I kinda was. I was also miserable. Driving, especially during rush hour, left me feeling furious and exhausted. So, I decided to tell myself a different story.