Observe the TV, billboards, mailbox, email, text messages, the mall, even the public buses – advertising everywhere!
The message is pretty consistent: Buy something, do something, get something to make your life better, easier, happier, more convenient – make you feel better.Daily, we are bombarded with literally thousands of messages begging for attention – ‘keys’ to personal development.
No problem? After all, such is the nature of free enterprise and capitalism which we all enjoy.
Think about this for a moment. Just about every form of advertising, especially television programming, is scripted. Very little of what we are exposed to is dynamic, done on the fly – it’s a script. Movies, one of the most powerful mediums of communication are acted out according to a script. That’s why the people in the movies are called actors.
What are they actually doing?
They’re acting out a script. These actors are not really being true to themselves, showing their own, true, authentic personal identity in the movies, they are acting out someone else’s script – portraying someone else’s identity. They’re even ‘coached’ how to best play the part. Don’t get me wrong here, I love a good movie – but there’s a powerful principle in play here.
With all the stuff we are exposed to daily, there are constant channels of influence, scripts that beg for our attention. Before we know it, we can find ourselves buying into the ideology projected in these scripts – someone else’s script. We can start taking them on as truth, personal belief. Some of these scripts may be helpful but many not.
Here’s my question. Whose script are you living? Have you allowed someone else’s script to become your life coach? Are you celebrating your own personal value and uniqueness, your divine, intrinsic value, or have you settled for some script, one that if you don’t act out makes you feel a lesser person?
This can ‘play out’ in every area of life. The clothes we wear, the way we look, the car we drive, the house we live in, the job we have, how much money we earn, the opinions of others. All these things and many more, can have a profound effect on how we view our personal value as human beings. If we don’t have the ‘best’ of everything, we might believe we have failed.
We can find ourselves doing things out of obligation – have to do it, or perfection - everything has to be perfect or it’s not good enough. These are the prevailing scripts of our times and it can play havoc on our sense of self worth, or self esteem.
Consider this. Actors, those who act out someone else’s script are some of the highest paid in the world. Not only that, but movies are our constant source of entertainment. We celebrate the fantasy; even pay to watch them, look up to the ‘stars’, perhaps even aspire to be like them – yet, it’s not even the lives of the actors we view, but a script - role play.
Want the truth? Our deepest value actually lies inside our own identity, and often it’s the piece that we celebrate the least – too busy running after scripts, aspiring to fantasy, denying the true genius that waits to be released from the inside – the release to true, authentic, vibrant living.
That’s what true life coaching is all about. Not another script, another set of rules to follow, another 12 point plan to somewhere – but being inspired to tap into and release the incredible treasure that lies within you.
Living from that place – everything is possible. No fantasy can compare to the destiny, purpose, capacity, or potential that lies within your unique, true, authentic, genuine self.
What will you choose today? Someone else’s script, play the role - or will you truly discover and celebrate your own uniqueness – live the life.