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Lesson Objectives
- Learn the importance of meaning-making in humans and how, left unchecked, our reliance on story can shape our thinking, emotion and behavior.
- Learn how to rumble with a story by challenging the conspiracies and confabulations that are often a part of the narratives we make up when we are in struggle.
- Personalize the experience of storytelling by writing an SFD of a difficult experience.
- Deepen your emotional vocabulary and self-awareness by further exploring your SFD and using the Story Rumble Glossary.
Reading Assignment – Rising Strong
Chapter 5
Lesson Video – The Rumble
Lesson Video – The Rumble Part 2
Lesson Video – My SFD
Exercise One – My SFD
Now I want you to write your SFD. Keep the SFD to three or four lines. Short spurts of writing can be more helpful to the process than long narratives.
You may be in the midst of a story, or you may be recalling a story from the past. Both scenarios are equally powerful and appropriate.
When it comes to our SFDs, it’s important that we don’t filter the experience or worry about how our story makes us look. We can’t get to our brave new ending if we start from an inauthentic place. You can be mad, self-righteous, blaming, or confused. Don’t worry about editing or trying to “get it right.” You’ll know you’re being honest if you’re worried that someone might see your SFD and think you’re a total jerk or a nut job. We all have SFDs that don’t reflect who we want to be, but they will help us become who we want to be.
You can either start with Exercise One – My SFD or with Exercise Two – SFD Writing Prompts: Unleashing Curiosity – whichever is an easier place for you to start.
“We can’t get to a brave new ending if we start from an inauthentic place.”
Brené Brown
Exercise Two – SFD Writing Prompts: Unleashing Curiosity
Below are prompts to help you think about your SFD. You can start with this exercise if it’s easier for you, or start directly with writing your SFD.
Use the Story Rumble Glossary to help understand what you’re really feeling. Reviewing the emotion definitions can help provide clarity.
Exercise Three – The SFD: Let’s Rumble!
It’s Time to Rumble.
Time to Unleash our Curiosity.
Time to poke, prod, and explore the ins and outs of our story.
What are the facts in the story?
What assumptions am I making?
What additional information do I need?
What questions or clarifications might help?
Now we get to the more difficult questions – the ones that take courage and practice to answer.
What’s underneath my response?
What am I really feeling?
Sometimes you may not play a part. Even so, it is still helpful to think about this question and write down your answer.