Wild Card: Letting Go of Old Stories

Our stories, from the moment we cry into the world to the moment we sigh our last breath, define us. They shape our history, our culture, and our actions. They change every second we're alive, and yet we find ourselves tied down to preferences that were set back in 2004. This isn't something new and we have probably have heard this before (and completely ignored it because Uncle Fred said that self-help was 'all about the hippie mumbo jumbo these days'). While I may not agree with Uncle Fred, our personal growth is unique to us and we face it however we can.

Recently I had to come to terms with a story I was working on. It had been a story that I was writing for a long time and I had tweaked it so much, it wasn't even the original story anymore. Regardless of the changes, I continued to plow ahead and force out the words any way I could. Finally, after four different rewrites, it all came together and the idea of the story was complete. As I began to write it again, it felt like something was missing but I kept on ahead. It was a great idea and I had all the pieces. I was just in my head about it, right? Wrong. Because I had become obsessed with the one story, I had let all my other stories fall to the side. This left my muscles rusty as hell when someone told me to write anything else other than my 'big great amazing story'. In order to leave room for new ideas to flow, I had to let the old ones go. As I made the decision to put the story on pause, I felt like someone had cleared the desk and placed a fresh pen and paper. And I was lowkey terrified. What was I supposed to write about? How is this even going to start? Maybe I should just pull out that ratty old notebook again and forget the whole thing.

This is how our mind works when we try to let go of habits that disservice us in the long run. We know in our heart of hearts that this is not what we need to be doing right now, and yet we do it anyway. We don't trust in the timing of life and we sure as hell don't trust ourselves. Why? We're great people. We've survived this long and have made decisions that didn't lead to the world catching on fire. So why is it so hard to let go? I don't know honestly. Logically, it makes sense to let go. We get a fresh start, a new perspective, and a chance to change. But letting go also means accepting that some of the things we've been doing suck and we need to stop doing them. It's hard, and a real ego puncher, but it needs to be done.

When I let go of my story idea, like I said, it was scary as hell. But the fear didn't last forever. It gave me a chance to ask questions, explore some new routes, and even dust off some long-forgotten gems. Being able to let go and see my options was like stepping out of line and looking at the menu. You have all the options right in front of you. Do you choose the same cheeseburger, or do you go for the #1 you've always wanted to try? I leave that choice up to you.

This was written in the spirit of play. I hope that you guys have another amazing Wednesday and make sure to think outside the box a little. You will never know what lies outside. Until next week! Join the FreeWriters Club!