Writing Your Own Life Script
This entry is a reflection on a response given to a question by a participant at the AWiB January World Cafe conversation session.
Where will we be when we overcome elements of our culture that may be holding us back from fulfilling our potential?
“Writing our own life script” replied a woman sitting among nine other women at the table. The energy was high. The conversations animated. The responses deep, personal and thoughtful.
I look at all the faces sitting around the table I am facilitating and I see amazing Ethiopian women, each unique in experience and life paths. Yet they share a commonality with each other. With me and I with them. As each one took turn speaking their thoughts candidly and openly about what it means to be a woman in our contemporary Ethiopian society, my mind kept referring back to the concept of “writing our own life script”.
What does it mean to write one’s own life script? Who has been writing it for us up to now? Are we aware of the role we have taken to play in this script? Does the role fit us? Do we fit the role? If not, why have we continued to play it? The notion of writing one’s own life script of course presupposes that we have been living a life that someone or something has designed for us. Without getting into the argument of whether a higher being has or has not designed each of our circumstances, I refer to the cultural elements that govern so much of the roles that we as women take on.
“And what happens when we overcome elements of culture that hinders?” Others emphasized more freedom of choice, finding out our hidden caliber, self belief, becoming bolder, and exploration of many career and passion options, becoming more authentic, true to self, becoming risk takers and developing more ambition.
Still my mind kept referring back to the concept of “writing our own life script”- because all the other responses were parts of the self written script. Overcoming cultural obstacles therefore becomes transforming ourselves to take on the role in life that we truly want to play.
2013 for AWiB is a year led by the theme of transformation and innovation – of systems, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors. All our programming will in one way or another touch upon the concept of transformation and innovation. So join in on this year long journey towards transforming ourselves, our communities and our outlook on life by asking self and others transformative questions.
Were you the writer, the director, the actress and producer of a film on yourself how would you star in it? Are you already playing the script you wrote yourself? Or do you find yourself playing a role that culture, family and society have casted you for?
How would you like to transform it?