We have to have some way of giving priority to different potentials within us. This is where a sense of self and self-identity come in.*
(Paul Gilbert)

If we find our story isn’t helping us, if it’s inaccurate or distracting or enervating, we can work to change it.**
(Seth Godin)

Personal stories are like maps.

Maps are not the real thing, but they help us record and navigate what is real.

The wise person, then, continually update their maps, which is to say, they work on their stories.

They know it’s foolish to deny their encounters with reality and instead hold firmly to their maps as they are; they know the resulting experiences can be painful.

The wise open their minds whilst the foolish close theirs.

They open their hearts rather than close and secure them.

They open their willingness to act, to grow rather than become fixed.

Every day’s a map-making day.

*From Paul Gilbert’s The Compassionate Mind;
**From Seth Godin’s blog: Inventing narratives.