Posts by Carl Greer
Yearning for Something Else
How much of your story has involved yearning for something else, versus working with what you have? When I was a teenager, I spent time in my grandparents’ house in Paris, Kentucky. It was a small house with one bathroom, which had a radio that was usually tuned to bluegrass music. One day, I heard…
Read MoreThe Power of Storytelling for Individual and Organizational Change
Many say casually, “You could write a book about what I’ve been through!” But how much time do we spend considering the stories of our lives? Being able to describe the story simply can help us to recognize the archetypal energies that are affecting us. A person who says “I’m always the bridesmaid and never…
Read MoreBreaking Through Obstacles So You Can Write a New Story
What is your story? There’s a story that you’d like other people to see, and the story you’d like it to be, but then there is the story as it really is. Is it satisfying to you, or do you want to write a new story? If you do, you may find that breaking through…
Read MoreHealing from Within
Therapy patients are more likely to have successful outcomes when they see therapy as a tool for self-healing. Good physicians will ask their patients about their habits of mind and body and guide them to heal themselves through better lifestyle choices. Still, many of us continue to look outside ourselves for healing. We don’t trust…
Read MoreRegaining Your Confidence
Do you lose confidence after a loss or failure? If it’s a particularly big loss or failure, or part of a series, you may find it next to impossible to have faith in yourself afterward. Lost confidence can affect you for years and become embedded in your story as a recurring theme that seems to…
Read MoreMy Story: Archetypal Themes, Plot Twists, and Becoming the Storyteller
Like many stories, my story has archetypal themes and plot twists that led me to my current story. When I was growing up, the steel industry seemed to define my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My father worked in production planning and later, marketing, for U.S. Steel. As a teenager, I followed in his footsteps, taking various…
Read MoreTime to Write and Bring to Life a New Story
You can have many incentives to change your life: for example, recognizing that you need to change your financial situation, realizing that the person you are is not who you want to be, feeling the need to answer a spiritual call, or accepting that a relationship or situation can’t continue as it has. As a…
Read MoreNew Year, New Theme: Getting Unstuck from Old Habits
Archetypes are patterns infused with energy. When you look at your patterns, that is, your habits of mind or behavior, you may not realize they are powerfully affecting your life. The “stickiness” of your habits reveals how much energy they hold. Some behavioral patterns can be like a sticky note, easily changed with conscious effort.…
Read MoreThanksgiving Prayers and Gratitude
Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to giving thanks for the blessings received during the year. It can also be a time for reflecting on the bounty of the Earth. Now that we have access to food year-round, we can feel disconnected from this aspect of Thanksgiving. After all, you can find pumpkin pie at a…
Read MoreIs Gossip Destructive or Productive?
We live in a world where gossip can quickly go viral. In the past, true and untrue stories told about others might spread over days or even weeks. Now they can spread in minutes. I don’t know many of the celebrities who are in the news, but I find gossip about them in the media…
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