The Narrator

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” —Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs’s brilliance publicly supersedes mine, undoubtedly. And I am not publicly saying I disagree with this quote. That being said, I will not commit to agreeing with it either… no matter how much smarter Steve may or may not have been than myself, according to the opinions of others.

Opinions are just that: opinions. In this world of uncertainty, we are all clinging and grasping for as much clarity as we can find via a variety of facets, including examining the earth in a strictly dichotomous way or developing dysfunctional behaviors to cope. But whether or not you wish to define the world in black and white parameters or develop an addiction of some sort to escape or anything in between, life is still uncertain, and often our only sense of reality is our internal narrator.

Narrators in movies, books, plays, etc are the all-knowing and all-encompassing connection to what factually is and is not. We rely on their contribution to give the necessary back story in order to comprehend. However, it is understood that these narrators in story telling, fictional or not, know everything. They have the knowledge of what has already and what has yet to happen.

Our narrator, however, is not all-knowing. Our narrator, is all-assuming. Our narrator bases reality and fact on our perception: information gathered from the past which we use to define our present and our future, when it has no significant basis to do so. Our narrator is our inner voice and, I’m sorry Mr. Jobs, is just another opinion.

I am not suggesting to ignore our inner voice. Believe your own encouragement and self love. I am suggesting the opposite: listen to it, AND, examine it thoroughly. Question its basis, review its source, and make the conscious choice to agree or disagree just as you would with any opinion. Our opinions have the ability to hinder our outer abilities more so than others’. Our internal problem stories can carry the weight of a thousand others’ problem stories about us. And our narrator is thankfully not all knowing. So just as Steve Jobs implied to not let someone else’s negative synopsis dim your own shine, do not let your own negative self talk either. We are more potential than any opinions see fit, including at times our own.