“Broken Compass” Stories We Tell Ourselves
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The day I stopped telling my “broken compass” stories…
If you aren’t familiar with the phrase, the “broken compass” story is the one we tell ourselves over and over again, based on distorted memories and perceptions that simply aren’t true. It’s the misguided path we sometimes follow along our spiritual life journey.
Mine began to form when I was just a little girl. My parents split up when I was three years old and I took it hard. In retrospect, this paved the way for years of low self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness.
My broken compass story must have begun when I was first in school. The classroom and the schoolyard can thrust a child into the harsh reality of being judged about everything you are and stand for as a human being. There’s no subject matter taught on this at school, and most adults don’t seem to get it anyway.
Somehow I came up with the story that my father was working in Alaska and would be home as soon as his job was finished. This sufficed for awhile, but soon the questions and comments came in an even more intrusive way. The ones that hurt the most included…
“Your father doesn’t live with you because he doesn’t love you.” “Your mother probably doesn’t even know which man was your father.”
My Broken Compass Story Carried Over Into My Business
Long ago, I told stories about the people who joined my list and purchased from me, or through an affiliate link. My storytelling went something like this:
“My people cannot afford to spend more than two hundred dollars, so I can’t recommend anything that costs more than that or create a product, course, or program above that threshold.”
Then one day a woman replied to my email to let me know she had purchased a live event, training, and some coaching from Ali Brown. The cost was almost three thousand dollars. I swallowed hard and my heart sank…
I was an affiliate for Ali Brown’s programs. The year was 2006 and Ali was the most successful and best known female marketer at that time. The woman also told me…
“I figured you were Ali’s affiliate and I wanted to buy this program through your link because you…
