If your life were a book - Would it be a bestseller or a doorstop?
It's never too late for a plot twist.
I’m curious - how did you react when you read that title?
Did your heart soar or sink?
Did judgement appear, comparing how your life should be to how it is?
Did you want to hide your book immediately under the carpet?
Here’s the good news for all of us…….
It’s never too late to write new chapters.
It’s never too late for a radical plot twist.
It makes me wonder about seeing people as being “living books’. All the trials and tribulations they’ve been through - the highs the lows.
It takes courage to be human.
And yet, we rarely speak to each other at this depth.
We rarely pause to truly read another’s story.
We rarely look at them in wonder and curiosity - what has their path as a human been?
Kids exploring a human library
One of my rowing coaches has volunteered to attend a "Human Library" event for Year 8's (12-13 year olds) at a local school.
The purpose behind this is to discuss professional career pathways.
A range of professionals attend these “Human Libraries” and small groups of the pupils borrow the “Human Books” and interview each one for about 7 minutes.
What really caught my imagination was this fabulous idea of “human libraries” that contained “human books” to be explored. That felt like fun.
Mind you - my rowing coach? He’s not your typical (nor sensible) career pathway story.
He runs his own business.
He’s a maverick and a rule-breaker.
He’s obsessive about all things technical in rowing of which there’s a gazillion believe me.
He loves challenging dogma vigorously.
And he has a big heart and super generous spirit which is why he’s such a great coach.
Lord knows what he’ll tell the kids. I’d love to be a fly on the wall.
I can just imagine him sat there with his group of kids, twinkle in his eye, saying it as it is from the contents of his human book.
They’ll be the group giggling away mischievously in the corner.
He’ll probably tell them to do the opposite of what everyone else says is the “right” path.
He’ll encourage them to pursue their own path and to follow the way of the heart rather than the way of the head.
He knows that’s where greatness lies.
He’s found it in himself and he brings it out of others.
One thing I know for sure about him as a human book is that it’s full of irreverence, mischief, courage and heart.
The kids will have a fab time exploring his human book - to be found in the renegade/ alternative section of the human library.
It makes me smile just thinking about it.
This is the gift of his “human book”.
What would kids discover from your “human book”?
If you were part of a “Human Library” and a group of children were to borrow you as a “Human Book” what would they discover?
A comedy? A tragedy? A rollercoaster adventure?
Would they laugh, gasp, be fascinated or would they cry or worst case fall asleep?
What would you want them to discover?
What would you want them to know about life?
I was wondering about my own and I probably would want to control what chapters of my book I gave them access to which, of course, says a lot about my ego!
I’d naturally want to share the chapters which were about adventures or realising dreams and what’s possible.
All the uplifting and inspiring stuff.
I’d maybe want to glue the pages of some other chapters which I’d prefer to stay hidden!
How about you?
Wouldn’t it be truer to acknowledge that for each one of us our unique human book is filled with a multitude of experiences including joy, sorrow, successes, failures, struggles, dreams, adventures, challenges, love and heart break?
Like how many plot twists have you had that you didn’t see coming?
Dreaming new chapters
Spring is here. Nature is literally springing forth from its winter slumbers so it’s the perfect time to write a new chapter.
What do you want this new chapter to be about?
Is it time for a new narrative?
Is it time for a plot twist?
What do you want to include in it?
What’s it time to edit out?
What are the overall themes and sub-headings of your next chapter?
What’s going to make you light up? Warm your heart?
What’s going to make you have a big fat grin inside?
If you don’t write the next chapter of your life someone else will.
Play with it. Be light. Be mischievous. This isn’t a test that’ll be marked.
This is your story!
As the saying goes “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly”.
Dreaming energy isn’t the same as thinking energy.
And if I were to up the stakes…….
When you are long gone and your story remains as a precious part of our human library…..
What makes people love reading it?
What do they learn, discover about life?
Where do you want your story to take them?
What makes it one of the most widely requested books in the library?
So what if you were to start now?
What if you were to write boldy?
If your mind thinks it’s possible - dream more wildly!
It’s never too late to begin a new chapter……..
As Tony Robbins said,
“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right.”