This is the week that Passover begins for those in our Jewish and Christian communities. The story of Passover is a powerful event that defines the narrative of these two religions.

The idea of passing over something always reminds me of playing dodgeball during recess in middle school. Two athletic students would self-select to create teams out of the remaining classmates. The goal was to build the best team and win the game. Of course, they always selected the athletic kids and passed over the not-so-athletic kids to create the best outcome.

In life, we get to choose our best experiences to create our narrative and pass over those experiences that no longer serve us.

For some reason many of us, myself included, spend time and energy on those things that don’t serve us. Things such as reliving how we felt when we weren’t picked for the dodgeball team. In my work as a counselor and coach, I’ve learned it is the stories in which we felt victimized by others’ actions, our ADHD, or circumstances beyond our control that tend to replay the most frequently. Rarely is it the story about how awesome we did at something.

By playing back stories where we underwhelmed ourselves or were victims we bind ourselves to those negative experiences when we should just allow them to pass over. Sure, that experience happened, but we have the power to learn from it, release it and move on.

Just like a religion’s narrative is a selection of stories, your personal narrative is about what you decide to keep and what you decide to leave behind. Tell a great story and live a great life.

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