What’s Your Arc?

As movie characters do, we too have our arcs. We go through certain phases of personal development, we learn, we change.

But how aware of that are you?

Movie characters are usually in some kind of unhappy spot in the beginning. They think their life is okay, but we can see it really isn’t. They are accustomed to the way they live and they don’t realize how it’s hurting themselves.

Often it’s the same in our own lives. We have patterns that we follow that are very hard for us to recognize. Some people follow self-destructive patterns their whole life without realizing that they could lead a much happier life if they broke free from them.

So in regard to that pattern, they don’t have an arc. They don’t develop. They might develop in other areas but this pattern still has a strong hold on them.

So, how do you break free from that?

First, you need to become aware that you are following patterns. It’s easy to see the patterns of others, but very hard to see our own ones. Just assume that you have them and start looking for them without feeling guilty. You did nothing wrong.

Second, look for the cycles that repeat themselves. Patterns often come in cycles. You can free yourself from them for a while but they come back. As if they were testing you to see how you react this time.

Again. Like a movie character.

We see change in a movie character is the person has the same temptation as in the beginning, but this time decides differently and shows this to us through an action that is different that the action he or she has done 100 times before. Therefore, we see the change.

What are your cycles? What are your situations that keep coming back, testing you, if you’re ready to change in order to lead a happier life? How do you react to the same temptation this time?

And there is your arc. If you can become aware of that, of what has been hurting you for so long but you didn’t see it… Bingo! You just made a jump in your personal development.

Just like a movie character.

How to get better at avoiding temptations?