Own Your Past Change Your Future: A Not-So-Complicated Approach to Relationships, Mental Health & Wellness

by John Delony

The path to being well and changing your life is simple—just five steps repeated over and over and over again. The five steps are: Own your stories Acknowledge reality Get connected Change your thoughts Change your actions That’s it.

Types of Stories As I’ve mentioned, there are four types of stories that direct our lives: The stories we’re born into—cultural narratives, political histories, churches and faith heritage, and family identities and traditions. This is the air we breathe. The stories others tell us—our worth, value, and ability. Told to us by our institutions, our parents and teachers, our enemies, and friends. The stories that actually happen—we got fired, she said yes, someone in our unit died, someone else got the job, the baby got sick, we had twins, or the economy collapsed. These stories are about reality. The stories we tell ourselves—the ones about identity and who we are. The judgments we cast on ourselves.

Control what you can control and set the rest down. It is a lot of heavy lifting. It is a practice. It

Inventory Your Actions