May 31, 2017
Storyjacking:
Change Your Inner Dialogue, Transform Your Life
Lyssa Danehy deHart
Aviva Publishing (2017)
ISBN: 978-1-944335-31-1
New Book Teaches How to Change Our Lives by Changing Our Stories
Lyssa Danehy deHart, a transformational coach and self-professed storyjacker, reveals in her new book, Storyjacking, how our lives are determined by the stories we tell ourselves. Unfortunately, too often, those stories hold us back. She believes we have to “storyjack” our stories—take them over and change our versions of them or the directions they go in—so 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 this concept. I’ve always found that when a problem exists and we find a way to label it, we become empowered to overcome it. We all have voices in our heads that hold us back—voices that tell us to be afraid, to fear what others think, that we’re not good enough to do something, etc. Now we can say to ourselves when we hear those voices, “It’s time to storyjack that belief.”
Yes, it is time for all of us to start storyjacking. But that’s easier said than done when we have long-held beliefs about ourselves that we need to overcome so we can change our old story into a new one. That’s why Lyssa has written this book—to help us become excellent storyjackers.
Storyjacking is a seven-step guide to help readers reclaim a fundamental truth about themselves. That truth comes in four parts, and each section is titled for one of those parts. The sections are: You Are Whole, You Are Capable, You Are Resourceful, and You Are Creative. Each section is then divided into several chapters relevant to it. For example, in the You Are Capable section, some of the chapters are titled “A Case for Visualization,” “Expanding Awareness,” “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 in small chunks so it goes down easier—and becomes better implanted in our minds as a realization, a thought pattern, or a habit.
While the focus of Storyjacking 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 Hard-Wired Stories” helps us to overcome entrenched habits and retrain our brains so we find new patterns. Another chapter “You Are Always at Choice” empowers us to realize we don’t have to be victims, but we can always make a decision 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 just ask myself, “What will the plot twist be for this story?” and that encourages me to quit dwelling on the problem and find a more creative way to resolve my situation.
Of course, changing our stories is not easy when we have held onto them for so long. Lyssa walks the reader through the process of working through pain from the past, through forgiveness, through learning to be vulnerable when it benefits us, and through letting go of the past and the stories that have held us back.
But for me, the most powerful point this book made was that I can learn to be okay with not knowing something. I know at times I can be a bit of a control freak, and I hate anything that is spontaneous or unscheduled. I always want to know the details well in advance, and I know sometimes that drives other people crazy—it drives me crazy. Since reading this book, I have been trying to become better at being okay with not knowing. In short, I’m trying to learn to go with the flow when it isn’t absolutely imperative that I do know something—and it’s rarely imperative.
Finally, one of my favorite things about this book is the truthful yet often mind-blowing statements Lyssa sprinkles throughout it that she calls the “super-secrets of the universe.” For example, the first super-secret she shares is: You are not living your life for today. Your yesterday self already made all the decisions that got you where you find yourself now, and your today self will be making all the decisions for your tomorrow self. 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 to it.
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 have to change it. These questions will wake readers up from the fairytale or even the victim story they may be telling themselves so they can create a new story based in reality and who they really are.
If you’re ready to tell yourself a new story about your life—so you can have a new and better life—I recommend learning the life-transforming art of storyjacking.
For more information about Storyjacking and Lyssa Danehy deHart, visit www.storyjacking.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, Ph.D. and award-winning author of Narrow Lives and The Best Place
