The Hero or the Helpless?

The Hero or the Helpless?

Have you ever noticed how two people can go through similar circumstances and tell wildly different stories about what happened?

One person might say, “I had a hard childhood, but it made me resilient. I learned how to take care of myself.” Another might say, “My childhood broke me. I’ve been struggling ever since.”

Neither one is wrong. Both are real. But the way the story is framed becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you believe you’re helpless, you’ll hesitate to act. If you believe you’re a survivor, you’ll find strength even in pain. The story we believe influences the behavior we choose.

Ask yourself:

• Do I often cast myself as the hero, the victim, or the outsider?

• Is my story one of overcoming—or one of being overlooked?

• Who gave me this script?

Often, we’re living a story we didn’t even write.

Inherited Stories and Emotional Baggage

We don’t just invent our stories—we inherit them. From our families. Our communities. Our culture. Maybe your father taught you that men don’t cry, so your story became one of silence and emotional shutdown. Or maybe your mother never believed she deserved rest, and now your story is built on burnout and overgiving.

Sometimes the stories we inherit aren’t said aloud. They’re passed down through behavior, tone, and fear.

But just because something has been told doesn’t mean it has to be lived.

There comes a time when we must hold up the narrative we’ve inherited and ask: Does this serve me? Does it reflect who I am becoming—or who someone else needed me to be?

Your story is not your family’s legacy. It is your opportunity to become conscious of the cycle and decide what continues with you… and what ends.

The Voice Behind the Story

Every story has a narrator. That narrator is your inner voice—the tone you speak to yourself with when no one is around. It’s the voice that says:

• “Of course you messed up again.”

• “Don’t get your hopes up.”

• “You always do this.”

• Or, sometimes: “You’ve got this. Just breathe.”

That voice can be cruel or compassionate, dismissive or empowering. And often, it mimics the voice we heard the most growing up.

If you were criticized constantly, your internal narrator might be harsh.
If you were nurtured, your narrator might offer grace.
But here's the good news: the narrator can evolve.

You don’t have to silence your inner voice. You just have to retrain it—teach it to narrate your life with honesty, courage, and hope.

Rewriting the Plot

If you were reading your life as a novel right now, what chapter would you be on?

Would it be the chapter where the hero realizes they've been looking at everything upside down? The chapter where the side character finally steps into the spotlight? The chapter where everything falls apart… before it comes together?

One of the most empowering realizations in personal growth is this:

You are not just the character in the story.
You are the author.

You don’t have to erase the past. You don’t even have to have all the answers. You just have to start writing a new paragraph. That might sound like:

• “I used to think I wasn’t enough… but I’m learning to challenge that belief.”

• “I’ve spent years trying to be what others needed. I’m ready to discover what I need.”

• “This chapter is about healing—not proving.”

Language matters. Framing matters. A small shift in perspective can rewrite the emotional experience of your entire past.

Stories with a Purpose

You don’t need to be perfect to live a meaningful story.

You just need to become intentional.

When you live unconsciously, your story is a reaction. When you live with purpose, your story becomes a creation.

Instead of being trapped in “Why did this happen to me?”, you start asking, “What can I learn from this? Who am I becoming because of it?”

Every great story has:

• A challenge

• A transformation

• A moment of realization

• A renewed purpose

The same can be true for you.

A New Narrative Starts Here

Let’s begin this journey by asking the most important questions:

• What story am I living right now?

• Who wrote it?

• Do I want to keep telling it?

• If not, what do I want my next chapter to be about?

You don't have to burn the whole book. Just begin a new sentence. A new page. A new pattern. A new belief.

Your story is powerful not because it’s perfect—but because it’s yours. And when you take ownership of the narrative, you stop being someone who’s at the mercy of life and become someone who is creating it.

Yeah, I want you to know that at any given point in time, you are the author of your story, meaning how you respond to what other's say, it should only matter how you think and feel about yourself...After all, YOU are the Author.

Prayers,

Curtis & Mandie