We are the stories we tell ourselves

Anatomy of the human eye

Here’s how vision works.

Light passes through a protective sheet in our eyes called the cornea. Then it moves through the pupil into the lens, which bends the light, focusing it at a point on the retina. From there, the optic nerve carries the light signals to the visual cortex. And the brain turns the signals into images.

Vision.

But different people can have the same light pass through their cornea and generate a different image in their visual cortex. Our eyes can work differently.

Reality. Our reality. Is also created by external stimuli we run through filters. Most of us aren’t aware it’s happening, but we’re constantly filtering external stimuli through the stories we tell ourselves. Our stories impact our decisions, habits, emotions and relationships.

Two people can experience the same external stimuli and filter it differently.

One person might have a story about a boss who supports the career goals of her team. Who gives direct and sincere feedback with empathy.

Another person who reports to that same person might tell a story about how their manager is disorganized. Scattered. Constantly late to meetings.

Both stories can be true. But do we have a good boss? Or an inept boss? Our reality depends on which story we embrace. Our stories shape our reality.

We can’t control how our brain turns light signals into images.

But we can control our stories.

If we don’t like one of our stories, we can consider an alternative telling.