Acoaching question which generates a lot of reflection is what role do you play in the movie of your life? Are you the lead actor, the central focus driving the action or perhaps you are best supporting actor, ensuring that the narrative progresses and the star shines. Alternatively, you might be a character to provide light relief or pathos to the story. Finally, you could be an extra, seen in the background, but with no job other than moving scenery for other actors.
Realistically we morph though all of these roles in our lives as time and circumstances change. Although we might like to think of ourselves as the hero in our own movie, sometimes it might not be practical to always be the lead. But it is equally important not to become typecast as the extra, a passive occupant in your life story.
We need to make conscious choices about our lives as otherwise we can than drift, or worse, be directed by others into positions that ultimately aren’t in our best interests. Whatever role we play, at whatever stage, it should be deliberate and enable us to be our best self.
We need to stop and take the time to actively understand our role and how it exists within the narrative arch of our life. The challenge is to be both actor and critique. Are we in the right role now and how can it serve our future story? Because life doesn’t have a re-take, so we need to call action on the movie of our life.
