This blog post explores the importance of maintaining a flexible yet focused personal narrative, emphasising that life’s path is often unpredictable. It highlights the value of regularly reflecting on your goals and progress while keeping joy as a central theme in life. The post also stresses that discipline and planning are essential to sustaining joy, even amid daily challenges

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Introduction

Good morning, good afternoon, wherever you are. As I sit here on the beach after a refreshing swim, I find myself reflecting on the importance of narrative in our lives. Today, we continue our journey, diving into part two of this series, focusing on a critical topic: your personal narrative. This is a tricky conversation, as it often requires us to reflect deeply on our past, present, and future.

The Unpredictable Nature of Life

When I was 18 years old, if someone had told me that I would one day be in New York with a $55 million loan to build a flagship store of consciousness, I would have thought they were crazy. My youthful goals were simple: find a girlfriend, become a great surfer, perhaps win a world championship in some sport, and build a multimillion-dollar business. Yet, life had different plans for me.

In retrospect, the way my life unfolded seems rational and logical, but at the time, the path was anything but clear. The future is often confusing, filled with unexpected twists and turns. This brings us to an essential lesson: it’s vital to stay true to your narrative without becoming fixated on the specifics of how it should unfold.

Staying True to Your Narrative

The fourth learning in our exploration of narrative is the importance of staying true to your story while remaining flexible in your approach. This requires regular reflection—at least once a week, if not once a month—on your progress and your narrative.

Ask yourself: What did I set out to do? What do I genuinely want to achieve? How am I working towards it? What can I change or adapt to get closer to my goals? It’s easy to get caught up in the details—the what, the when, and the how. However, the stress, pain, and disappointment we often experience stem from our fixation on these aspects, rather than the overarching theme of our lives.

Embracing Joy as a Central Theme

For me, the theme of my life has always been a deep excitement and enthusiasm for life itself. It’s been a conscious effort to escape the negative emotions that surrounded me as a child—grief, sadness, anger, and disappointment—and instead, pursue a life filled with freedom and joy.

Joy is a powerful concept, but it’s also elusive. It requires a balance between discipline and spontaneity, between planning and living in the moment. In my own life, particularly at home here in Bondi with two young children, it’s easy for joy to be overshadowed by stress. The daily pressures—getting the kids to school, managing schedules—can quickly replace joy with anxiety.

The Discipline of Joy

However, I’ve learned that joy requires a certain level of discipline and organisation. When we plan our days, weeks, and months with care, we reduce the time pressure that leads to stress. This planning allows us to savour the moments of joy, rather than rushing through them.

The same principle applies to our broader life narrative. We need to reflect regularly on where our joy will come from—not just this year, but this month, this week, even today. The opposite of joy is complaining, and this should be a central focus in every coaching session.

Conclusion

In the end, having a strong narrative and regularly reflecting on it is crucial for leading a joyful life. Joy should be the theme of your life, the thread that weaves through every experience. So, take the time to reflect on your narrative, plan your joy, and embrace the journey.

This is Chris, wishing you a beautiful day. Remember to keep joy at the centre of your life, and you’ll find that everything else falls into place.

Bye for now.