Change Your Story, Change Your Life

Have you ever felt like you wish you could change something, but you can’t seem to find the way to make the change?

Most of us have a laundry list of things we’d like to change, and yet we think change is too hard to do. Because humans are complicated creatures, we believe our solutions have to be complicated too. But I learned from Marisa Peer a long time ago that solutions are often quite simple.
Sometimes, changing your life starts with something as simple as changing your story.

The habit I couldn’t adopt

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but for a long time, I struggled with adopting a nighttime skincare routine. Yes, night after night I’d fall asleep without washing my face or taking off my makeup (if I wore makeup that day.)

Of course, I understood the importance of cleaning my pores and applying serums and creams to work their magic while I sleep. I wanted to have a good complexion, and I did not want my face to age prematurely because I neglected it — and yet neither the knowledge nor the desire helped me adopt a good skincare habit.

Every day I’d say, “Today I’m going to be disciplined and wash my face before bed!” and then I’d fall asleep on my kids’ bed, only to wake up just long enough to sleep walk to my bedroom and plop myself on the bed.

I was more tired than disciplined.

Until I changed the story

One day I was getting a facial done and my facial lady, Maribel, was noting how dry, clogged, and dull my skin was. As she analyzed me through a magnifying lens, she started asking questions. I knew the inevitable question was coming, “what are you applying at night?”

“Well, my dermatologist gave me some great creams and serums, but most nights I fall asleep before I get the chance to put them on.”

She gasped.

“What about your makeup?”

“Well, I don’t wear too much makeup. But even if I have some on, I fall asleep with it on.”

My eyes were closed but I could sense the horrified look on her face.

“You are getting older, and you need to take care of your skin, Caro! You can’t continue doing this.”

Feeling ashamed, I began telling her all my justifications and excuses, until she said something that changed everything. “Then do your routine earlier. It doesn’t have to be the last thing you do.”

There it was.

The story I’d been telling myself was that my nighttime routine had to be the very last thing I did before I lay to rest. But that’s not working in this season of my life. So what if I took out “night” from my nighttime routine? What if it became the first thing I did rather than the last thing I did?

One small change can be all you need

Changing my definition of “night time” routine gave me permission to do the things my face needed while I still had the energy. So after dinner, but before I wash the dishes, clean up around the house, put my kids down, read bedtime stories, etc, I take a few minutes to wash my face, put toner, apply my creams, and take care of my skin.

That’s all it took, and I’ve been building that habit ever since.

Change your story, Change your life

My friend, Kelly Swanson is a master storyteller and storytelling expert. She has devoted her life to helping people use the power of story to change their lives. But throughout her life, there was one thing Kelly always struggled with — her weight.

No matter what she tried, she could never get her weight under control. When the story was about being skinny, Kelly didn’t care. When it was about looking like other people, she didn’t care. Even when it was about shaming herself, she didn’t care.

It was only when the story became about being healthy so Kelly could continue doing the things she wanted to do — only then was she able to tackle that part of her life.

This Friday, join me in a very special Connect with Caro Expert Interview where Kelly will share the health crisis that changed her relationship with food, life, and weight.

She’ll make you laugh; she might make you cry; but more importantly, she’ll inspire you to think about the stories you’re telling yourself and how you can change them to adopt better habits, pursue your goals, and live your best life.

Click here to register for this interview. You won’t want to miss it! Oh, and share the love with your friend.

Kelly Swanson is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, Huffington Post Contributor, and cast member of The Fashion Hero television show airing on Amazon Prime. She is also author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale, The Land of If Only, The Story Formula, and The Gutsy Girls Pocket Guide to Public Speaking.