Lyssa Danehy deHart, transformational coach and self-proclaimed storyteller, reveals in her new book, Storyjacking, how our lives are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves. Unfortunately, all too often, those stories hold us back. She believes that we need to “storyjack” our stories, take them and change our versions of them or the directions they go in, so that we can change our lives in positive ways that allow us to move forward and fulfill our dreams.

While the concept isn’t new, the term storyjacking is, and it’s about time we had a term for it. I have always found that when there is a problem and we find a way to label it, we empower ourselves to overcome it. We all have voices in our heads that stop us, voices that tell us to be afraid, to be afraid of what others think, that we are not good enough to do something, etc. Now we can say to ourselves when we hear those voices, “It’s time to count that belief.”

Yeah, it’s time we all started telling stories. But this is easier said than done when we have ingrained beliefs about ourselves that we must overcome in order to trade our old story for a new one. That’s why Lyssa has written this book, to help us become great storytellers.

Storyjacking is a seven-step guide to help readers reclaim a fundamental truth about themselves. That truth comes in four parts, and each section has the title of one of those parts. The sections are: You are complete, You are capable, You are resourceful, and You are creative. Then, each section is divided into several chapters related to it. For example, in the Are You Able section, some of the chapters are titled “A Case for Visualization,” “Consciousness Expansion,” “Nothing is Personal,” and “Archetypes.” One of the best aspects of this book is that the chapters are very short; that allows the reader to digest an idea into small fragments so that it is more easily assimilated and better implanted in our minds as a realization, a thought pattern or a habit.

While Storyjacking’s focus is on the stories we tell ourselves, Lyssa looks at all aspects of our lives and the situations and thoughts that hold us back. One chapter, “Habits Are Ingrained Stories,” helps us overcome ingrained habits and retrain our brains to find new patterns.

Another chapter, “You Always Have a Choice,” empowers us to realize that we don’t have to be victims, but we can always make a choice and make it right. One of my favorite chapters was “Plot Twist”. I love the idea of ​​introducing the plot twist into our lives. Now, when I find myself in a difficult situation, I can ask myself: “What will be the plot twist of this story?” and that encourages me to stop dwelling on the problem and look for a more creative way to solve my situation.

Of course, changing our stories is not easy when we have kept them for so long. Lyssa guides the reader through the process of overcoming the pain of the past, forgiveness, learning to be vulnerable when it benefits us, and letting go of the past and the stories that have held us back.

But for me, the most powerful point of this book was that I can learn to be okay with not knowing something. I know I can be a bit of a control freak at times and I hate anything that is spontaneous or unscheduled. I always want to know the details well in advance, and I know that sometimes that drives other people crazy, it drives me crazy. Ever since I read this book, I’ve been trying to get better at being okay with not knowing. In short, I’m trying to learn to go with the flow when it’s not absolutely imperative to know something, and rarely is.

Finally, one of my favorite things about this book is the truthful but often mind-blowing statements that Lyssa sprinkles throughout it that she calls the “super secrets of the universe.” For example, the first super secret she shares is: You’re not living your life for today. The self of yesterday already made all the decisions that led you to where you are now, and the self of today will make all the decisions for the self of tomorrow. If you’re like me and have a hard time saying “No,” then you may find this super secret helpful: Anyone can ask you for anything, but you don’t have to agree.

Each chapter also concludes with a helpful exercise that asks readers to reflect on the material and be honest with themselves about their current story and how they need to change it. These questions will awaken readers to the fairy tale or even victim story they may be telling themselves so they can create a new story based on reality and who they really are.

If you are ready to tell yourself a new story about your life, so that you can have a new and better life, I recommend that you learn the life-transforming art of storyjacking.