Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: When Benjamin Franklin was a child, he became envious of a friend who had a whistle. Ben wanted that whistle so much that he took every penny from his savings and bought a shiny new whistle. Proud of his new possession, he walked around home with the whistle in his mouth, tweeting and tooting to his heart’s delight. Of course, his siblings soon became irritated with the sound, and pointed out to young Ben that he had spent four times as much for the whistle as it was actually worth. They reminded him of all the other things he could have bought instead. Soon, the incessant teasing and the resulting self-doubts diminished Ben’s enthusiasm for his new toy. As he grew up, Benjamin Franklin’s character was shaped by a promise to ‘never again spend too much for a whistle’. Our lives and society are shaped by stories. Every family has stories about incidents, all of which are funny or heart-warming or painful or character building. Whenever old friends get together, they reminisce about times gone past, and all the silly things that were experienced. Each day in the news, we read and digest new stories. Each story describes and shapes an event, and the story helps us remember the details. As we piece together words to form a picture, the perspective of the story enhances the event. In many conversations, there is a tendency to recall stories to explain certain experiences. As one person tells a story, the details trigger memories for other people. As old stories come to the surface, a conversation segues from one tale to the next. Ultimately, we all have stories to describe every experience and feeling in our lives. Stories become such a major part of our life that we allow them to influence our expectations. Once stories enter our consciousness, they tend to alter our belief systems. When we hear a story about something bad that happened, we tend to believe that it will happen again. A story about razor blades in an apple changed Halloween forever. A story about a child taken from a front lawn keeps every other child in the backyard. The biggest problem with stories is that we tend to relive them. Stories from past experience are tools that we use to evoke emotions and feelings. When you recall a story about a bad experience, it comes back in such detail that the emotions are awakened again. In many cases, the story is retold internally so often that the details are enhanced and the emotions become much stronger than they were when the actual incident occurred. Our lives are full of stories, and while many are good memories that awaken pleasing emotions, others tend to pull us down or hold us back. While it is important to remember and learn from stories of events past, it is also important to empower your own creativity. Every day is a blank page, and the future is not written yet. As the author of your own life, you are in charge of your own stories. Create what you want, and read the stories later. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2006 First Published December 17, 2006

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As we piece together words to form a story, the perspective of the story enhances the event.