Nelson Mandela, in his 1994 Inaugural Speech, said:

 “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.  We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous ?

Actually, who are you not to be ? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you . . .”

Many of us – although completely unaware of our actions – sabotage our opportunities for love, friendship, prosperity – even good health.

     Why would we  sabotage ourselves? This is a question that sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, spiritual teachers, and religious leaders have been asking for centuries – with a vast array of conclusions.

There is a principle, however, that most experts and observers of human nature would agree upon; I call this principle cognitive narrationand here’s what it states:

      We are the sum total of what we tell ourselves we are. And this “telling ourselves” is done through the use of narratives – short stories that, consciously or subconsciously, determine our behavior, decisions, expectations      and conclusions.

 The Buddha stated this phenomenon succinctly: “We are the result of our thoughts.”

Thus, cognitive narration is the ‘self’ telling ‘itself’ – or narrating – hundreds of little stories each day. When awake, we call these stories, ‘living in the real world’; when asleep, ‘dreams.’

And here’s another observation most mental health professionals agree on: people who suffer from anxiety, depression and a variety of other psychological conditions, usually play and replay their narratives with  predictable story lines of  failure, incompetence, shame, scarcity and terror.

 In my 40- year search for a way to turn the stream of compassion within, I recently stumbled on the following idea:

What if you had the opportunity to literally write your own, personal narration  . . .

with language that reflects a new and powerful storyline . . .

free of self-sabotage, guilt and recriminations . . .

a narrative of love, success, compassion, gratitude, prosperity and peace?

And here’s the most powerful part:

What if you could subsequently publish that narrative on the Internet – an  

opportunity to publicly share your new ‘story’ or narration with others?

Like a marriage ceremony, where a couple publicly share their new covenant, you, too, could also share your narration with just friends and family — or thousands of online visitors, if you so desire.

Keep your eyes and ears open for a future Internet application.

Copyright © 2012 Martin Bayne