Mindfulness without the Bells and Beads

Chapter 11Week 3: Do You Have the Story or Does the Story Have You?

Humans are storytellers. Just like children learn to speak far earlier than they learn to write, humans were telling stories long before the Sumerians began writing in cuneiform on clay tablets. If speaking comes before writing, what comes before speaking? Thinking, also known as the stories that occur inside our head. We've been telling ourselves stories for a very long time, and we are exceedingly good at it—so good, in fact, that we often don't even realize when we are doing it or how it affects us. This week we'll explore the power our stories and thoughts have in shaping our reality. Before we dive into the key learnings, let's hear about Alice, a senior manager on the path to partner at a Big Four accounting firm.

Alice has been at her firm for 12 years and “knows” this is her year to make partner. She's been consistently managing annual revenue in the $4 to $6 million range for the last 2 years and her sales pipeline for the next 4 years is pointing to continued revenue growth, so her business case for promotion is solid. She has good relationships with her peers and support for her partner candidacy across her business unit and with executive leadership in her service line. However, last week, during a pitch to a very important client, Alice made a blunder. Shortly after the presentation began, she called the primary client, the company CEO, by the wrong name. Alice, unaware of the gaff, continued ...