What's your Story?

April 22, 2020 Polly!

Embracing Life's Stories

Do you ever think about your life as a story with different chapters? This is how I see my life. I believe that we all have stories worth telling. We all have at least one good story in us, that life changing character building story.

If this were true...which story would you tell?

Does it cast you as the character that you most want to be?

Discovering Your Story Amidst Challenges

After experiencing a life changing event, a friend asked me the simplest and yet the most impactful question I’ve ever been asked ...What's your story now she asked.

The reply I almost gave was nothing short of a victim story, a blame story and a ‘I’m not enough’ story. But here's the story that I chose instead…

‘I’m Polly Brennan, I'm a Glasgow girl through and through and I am proud of my Scottish roots. I'm a mum to 3 brilliant wise women who have taught me so much about life and love.

I am stubbornly and delusionally optimistic. I’m an ambassador for adventure and I’m childishly excited about life. I’m free spirited, mischievous and as I reach my late forties, I'm becoming more comfortable in my skin.

One day my life will flash before my eyes and I know that it will have been worth watching.

At the end of 2018 life’s twists and turns took me quite by surprise. I found myself facing turbulent times. One Saturday night quite unexpectedly life completely turned upside down. In the blink of an eye, my home, family, financial and my career circumstances all changed. It was that crucial moment that I now refer to as ‘The perfect storm that woke me up’.

As often happens, once one thing breaks in life, everything else seems to as well. The laptop died losing all my intellectual data, the car dashboard began flashing like a Christmas tree, my iPhone smashed and the boiler sprung a leak, leaving water pouring through the ceiling in the middle of the house sale.

Sometimes the universe likes to stack the challenges simply to remind us just how resilient we are.

Within a matter of months, I had created a simpler, less complicated and happier life. I'm not going to lie, I'm proud of how I navigated it all. I handled it like a boss!

Surrounded by love, support and friendship everything that followed reminded me that sometimes in life you have to cut back dead wood to create space for new growth.

I learned that the eye of a storm is actually a rather calm and peaceful place. Whilst chaos ensures around you, you can also feel grounded and curious about what’s coming next. I learned how exciting and wonderful life can be when change is afoot and the future seems uncertain.

I didn't realise right away that I was on a journey of personal and professional development. My circumstances reminded me of the strategies I have possessed from an early age to bounce back from adversity. Life’s twists and turns and curveballs simply remind you of the resources that you already possess to stay strong and to thrive.

Empowering Through Mental Fitness

My journey forward required me to bolster my mental fitness. This gave me the clarity I needed to develop a coaching system around my skills, expertise and my personal experience..

I created ‘The Mental Fitness Kitbag™ model; a solution to the challenge of being human and a catalyst for change. This teaches strategies to strengthen mental fitness & nurture mental wealth.

I'm always reminded that we can tell our stories in many different ways and from many different perspectives. We get to choose the title, decide on the main characters (In your story that should be YOU by the way).

We can tell versions of the story where lessons are learned, where we adapt, we become better. Amazingly we can become the people that we most admire in our stories. We can narrate the outcomes that we want and then take action to ensure that we create these outcomes.

Life changes can often be an invitation to rediscover priorities, change gear, get in the fast lane and make things happen. Because behind your biggest fear is your biggest opportunity.

Above all else, my perfect storm prompted me to pack my own mental fitness kitbag with the tools that I needed to thrive and to take it on a new adventure. Life's twists and turns can open up your mind to a world of new possibilities if you are prepared to adopt a curious and adventurous approach.

My perfect storm was a catalyst to the creation of a mental fitness coaching system. This has led to me being interviewed on podcasts, on local radio, on television and being asked to speak at events.

So why am I sharing this story?

Other people's stories can bring us hope and courage, they remind us of valuable lessons and that a strengths fuelled story is available to us all regardless of events.

This story is my mental fitness story. My best hope is that by sharing my perfect storm you will be reminded that your biggest challenge could also be your biggest opportunity. The big question... what’s your story?