Happy Sunday.

We live in a world of stories. More accurately, we live in a world made up of stories.

At its most basic level, a story—a narrative—describes an extended sequence of causes and effects. That's how we interpret the world, it's how people began talking to each other around the campfire back in the ancient days, and it makes us uniquely powerful on this planet, but it also leaves us vulnerable to harmful stories.

And these aren't "just" stories. They actually alter the very fabric of our reality. Consider two different stories you can tell yourself about health and weight loss.​

One person subscribes to the narrative that our personal choices do not determine health and body composition. They believe in the story that we are subject to our genes, to our childhood history, to our environment, to our family history. They don't think they can do anything to change their trajectory except accepting their fate. They may have tried to count calories, but it didn't work. They don't believe in the story of "fad diets."

The person who subscribes to the narrative that they are helpless in the face of addictive foods and a long commute and the gym being 20 minutes away will not lose weight. That narrative will come true.

Another person subscribes to the narrative that our personal choices determine our health and body comp. They believe in the story that we can control the expression of our genes through lifestyle, diet, and exercise. They believe in the narrative that we can beat our family history and create our own environment. 

The person who subscribes to the story that we can control the fate of our health and wellness will lose weight and be healthier. That narrative will come true. The "fad diets" will end up working. 

What kind of stories are you telling yourself? What kind of stories are others telling you?

Let me know in the comment section of New and Noteworthy.

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