How often do you ask yourself; I wonder what they meant when they said that?

The moment you ask yourself that question is when the stories begin.

What stories?

The stories where you begin to create your own narrative about what you think happened next.

Let me give you an example with this story prompt.

Once upon a time…

How many different directions can you take the prompt I gave you?

If you’re the creative type, there’s almost an infinite number of endings to the prompt. And if you don’t consider yourself to be creative, there are still numerous directions you can take the story.

The interesting thing about the story prompt is that I can ask you to make up a story and you’ll do so based on a variety of factors.

Here’s a shortlist that will influence your storytelling: your life experience, values, creativity, even the information and the media you’ve recently consumed. You’ll also create different stories based on the mood you’re in when I ask you.

So, back to my original question.

When you begin to wonder what a person meant by what they said, your mind begins to tell you stories. And while you might guess correctly, the probability of you doing so is extremely low. But, and in many cases, and unfortunately, you’ll begin to convince yourself that you think you know what they meant. And this is dangerous territory because then you act and respond according to what you think they said.

You respond to the story based upon your own assumptions – no evidence, just your mind in creative mode.

I share this with you because while it’s nearly impossible to stop creating stories about what you think a person meant by what they said, it is possible to remind yourself that your mind is doing its job by filling in the blanks of an unfinished story. What the person said is a version of, once upon a time.

So, the next time you find yourself thinking about what a person meant by what they said, take a moment to remind yourself that whatever you think next will be a story. It will be a story based on the factors I listed and many more. And you have a choice about which direction you want to take the story or make the decision not to assume and leave the story unfinished.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.