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Why You Shouldn’t See Your Life as a Story

Ray Williams
3 min readJan 11, 2025

In the era of self-help books and motivational speeches, the idea of “seeing your life as a story” has gained significant traction. It is often presented as an empowering perspective, encouraging people to embrace challenges as plot twists and view setbacks as character-building moments. While this narrative approach can sometimes be inspiring, it is not without its pitfalls. In fact, seeing your life as a story can lead to a distorted understanding of reality, unhealthy self-expectations, and an oversimplified view of human experience.

The Problem with Narrative Oversimplification

At its core, storytelling is about creating coherence. Stories follow a structure: a beginning, middle, and end. They often involve clear protagonists, antagonists, and resolutions. Life, however, is rarely so neat. Philosopher and literary critic Galen Strawson argues against the “narrative fallacy,” noting that our lives do not unfold in linear, cohesive arcs. In his essay “Against Narrativity,” Strawson writes: “It is not true that everyone sees their life as a narrative or story, or that doing so is necessary for living well.”

By imposing a narrative structure onto life, you risk oversimplifying its complexities. For example, labeling someone as the “villain” in your story might blind you to the nuances of…

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Ray Williams
Ray Williams

Written by Ray Williams

Author/ Executive Coach-Helping People Live Better Lives and Serve Others

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