The stories we tell ourselves - notes from Inside Out 2
Ever had a kid’s movie spark a profound realization about careers? That happened to me today while watching Inside Out 2 with my 5-year-old.
Two main messages of the movie (no heavy spoilers, though maybe light ones) are:
- Our emotions don’t get to determine who we are and
- What we believe about ourselves affects our choices (and as a corollary, our choices affect our career trajectory).
It is tempting to believe that navigating a career journey is just about working hard, growing skills, networking, and achieving important things.
All of this is true, but there’s an important, underlying piece to the whole thing…
It all starts with our self-concept.
The stories we tell ourselves matter.
“I’m an impostor who doesn’t deserve to be here” is a story, just like “I’m a winner who is smarter than everyone here” is a story.
What Inside Out 2 made me realize is that it’s not about just shutting out the bad stories, or even worse, getting mad when you catch yourself telling a negative story.
It’s simply about awareness.
You just ask:
What story am I telling myself?
What actions am I taking (or not taking) as a result?