Storyboarding Part I - Belinda Harrold

Step 3: Articulate your current story

Articulate as clearly as possible the story you currently have that isn’t working. Put it down on paper, elaborate. We’ll refer to this as your Old Story…

before writing your Old Story (or try to) really bring it to life

Be honest about why you live the way you do. Look at your story, pick it apart, and see how it holds up. Write in your natural, private voice, don’t sugar-coat it. If you’re bitter, rationalising, or proud, let that show.
This is for your eyes only, so don’t worry about being politically correct or softening your words. You may want to share it later during the Vision Journey.
It can help to exaggerate your inner voice, you’ll spot just how unhelpful or illogical it might be, actually think ugly bits and all, put it down. Capture the details of your tone and logic.
The way you tell your story, its theme, mood, key players, and pacing, brings it to life, so be sure to include those elements.

Questions to Start:

- Where in your life is the story not working?
- What areas need your attention? In which areas do you need or want to be more engaged?
- Ask yourself: In which area is it clear that I can’t reach my dreams with the story I’m currently telling?

Now, give your Old Story a go.

Some more contemplative prompts:

Your Story Around Work

How do you see your relationship with work? Is it a joy, a burden, or somewhere in between? What gets you out of bed each day—is it the money, the prestige, or something deeper like fulfillment and making a contribution?

Do you find work engaging, or does it feel more like a trap? Are you inspired and challenged, or mostly disappointed and overwhelmed? Does your current work story align with your life dreams?

If money weren’t a factor, would you still work? Jot down five aspects of your job that you’d keep if money wasn’t an issue—like the camaraderie, specific tasks, or a great mentor.

Your Story Around Family

What’s your story about family life? How important is family to you in the big picture? Do you work hard for their sake? Is your relationship with your partner where you want it to be, or is there a gap in the connection and intimacy you’d like to have?

How’s your relationship with your kids, parents, and siblings? If you keep going as you are, what will your family relationships look like in the future? If things aren’t great with key family members, what story do you tell yourself to let it continue?

Do you blame your job for not being fully present with your family? Is it really the job’s fault for your disengagement from the people who matter most? Can you be fully engaged at work and with your family?

Your Story Around Health

What’s your story about your health? How much do you value it, and why? If you keep going the way you are, what might happen to your health? If you’re not fully engaged in looking after yourself, what story do you tell yourself and others—like your spouse, kids, or doctor—to justify it?

Imagine if you suddenly lost your health—how would that affect you and the people you care about? How would you feel if your story ended with an avoidable early death? Do you want your kids to follow your example when it comes to health?

Does the way you look and feel match the story you’re telling? Remember any promises you made to yourself when you weren’t feeling great? Jot down three promises you made to improve your health.

Your Story Around Friends

What’s your story about friendship? How important are friends to you? Think about how engaged you are—not just how often you see them, but how you connect when you’re together.

If close friendships matter but aren’t happening, what’s stopping them? How might friendships connect to your health and happiness? How important are they for achieving what you want in life?

If you have few or no friends, why do you think that is? Have your closest friendships grown over the last five years? Imagine having no friends—how would that make life poorer? Jot down three ways being friendless might impact your life.

Your Story Around Happiness

What’s your story about happiness? Do you see it as an afterthought, an indulgence, or even selfish? Have you stopped expecting real joy in your life, beyond just contentment?

Take a moment to jot down ten times in the past month when you truly felt joy.

Your Story Around Financial Health

How do you honestly feel about your financial situation, secure, stressed, or indifferent? What role does money play in your sense of safety and future plans?

Are you proactive with your finances or just hoping things will work out? If nothing changes, where will your finances be in 5 or 10 years?

If things aren’t great, what excuses or stories do you tell yourself about it?

Do you openly discuss money with your partner/family, or is it a taboo topic?

If you lost your main income tomorrow, what would happen?

Are you proud of your spending, saving, and investing habits, or do you avoid looking at them?

Does your financial health impact your key relationships? Is your sense of worth tied to how much money you have?

What three money promises have you made to yourself? Have you kept them?

Step 4: Reflect on Your Old Story

Read it back. How does it make you feel?

Does it stir up discomfort or embarrassment? Can you recognise its dysfunctionality?

Only after confronting and satisfactorily answering this question can you expect to build new reality-based stories that will take you where you want to go.