I am a big fan of Game of Thrones. Really dig the HBO interpretation, and have been into the books by George RR Martin for quite some time. It is a compelling tale, full of complex story lines and even more complex characters. The personal stories of the characters themselves are one of the keys to the success of the franchise. The main characters in the story are neither good or bad, up nor down, black nor white... they are human; and with that comes all the baggage of a truly human tale.

Whether we know it or not, we live our lives according to stories. We unconsciously spend a great deal of time crafting these stories, and they in turn steer our choices and govern our lives. Many of our personal tales involve our roles as superintendents; how we are detail oriented, hard working and often times loyal to a fault. Our narratives also involve our personal lives; husband, father, mother, daughter, brother, sister. It's all in there.

Also present in these story lines is our propensity to tell ourselves how things are for those around us. We allocate a great deal of energy deciding how other people are, and how they relate to us.  This is where the concrete story lines we hold onto as truth can become dangerous and brittle.

When we get stuck in the stories that either we or those around us lay down, we are automatically limited. Our lives can become stifled  and we can become resentful for constantly having to play a role we never signed up for. It can breed an underlying feeling of discontent that we may not even have words to describe.

Becoming aware of these limiting stories is the first step in transcending them. It's not to say they all need to thrown out; some of the story lines we live are very valuable. It simply means that if we can step back and take a thoughtful inventory of the tales that rule our lives, then we can make the choice to rewrite the ones that are not helping spin a positive yarn.

As we evaluate and analyze our own defective stories, it can also help us to recognize the troubles that others may have. Not that we need to start pointing out everyone's faulty plot lines. It can simply allow us to become more compassionate and give each other a bit more room for growth when difficulties arise.

Knowing that your story arc can take a plot twist and change at any time is also a very liberating thought. Often times changing your own narrative in positive ways can have a ripple effect on those around you. As you broaden your horizons and take charge of writing your own tale, those closest to you will often times follow your lead.

In the end your tale will be one worthy of a bestselling novel. It will be full of joy, happiness, love. It will have its fair share of despair, tragedy and loss. But when it is all said and done, it is your story and yours alone... so try to make it one to remember (just try not to get your head chopped off or get scorched by a dragon).