Interestingly enough to me, some disconnect trials and tribulations of life as if they were far from similarity to chapters in a book. Yet, countless books are read, each day movies binged upon- people glued to each scene. Like a fanatic, we delve ourselves into the world someone else has written about or produced for our entertainment. Could this be suggesting merely that, in the same way many find delight in following the lives of others, we perhaps do not think our own to be anything of interest or that our life is lacking the sparks and fires that other lives seemingly are consumed of? And yet, have you ever stopped to think that your life could very much be that good book others are waiting to read or that movie no one has yet made, but millions would pay to watch?
If your life were to be a book, how would it go? What type of narrative would it be? Would it be a fairly long novel or a short one? And if a producer were to read the story of your life, would it ever be considered interesting or praiseworthy enough to become a movie? If so, what type of movie genre would it fall under? More importantly, what type of movie genre would YOU want it to be- regardless of how it may have started when you found yourself in it? Would it be a book or movie ever worth buying or watching? The good news is, although we may have found ourselves to not have gotten a good start, books and movies that get the best reviews are those that have twists and turns- not just direct paths from the beginning to the end. After all, what book or movie is noteworthy engaging ourselves into if every page or scene is predictable? It is in the heights of victory- overcoming obstacles where the rating of a good ending is determined.
It’s time to make sure your life story fills up to its best potential. You already know how it started and perhaps you have already gone through some chapters. Let’s prepare the rest of your life for that bestselling book or movie your life story truly could be. It all starts by examining a good story plot.
Having taught key elements of a story plot, you teach that in a narrative there are five main components: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and finally, resolution.
Exposition is the introduction of a story. Mainly, it’s how a story begins- the setting. Think in your life where the very you began. This would compose of perhaps where you were born, the environment you found yourself to be in, and then perhaps all the way to your primary, adolescent years. These are the chapters of your life that make up the fundamental basics of you- your foundation. This is that beginning part where you found yourself just embracing the world, embracing any capacity of love, shelter, and laughter afforded to you. This expository part of the story of you is where you have merely been introduced to the world and your surroundings- just taking it all in. However, there comes a time where we start to look around us and begin to wonder if there is anything more to be than what you already are. We thus, begin to rise to a greater desire for more than what is around us.
The Rising Action is that time in life where you have begun to venture into late adolescence, perhaps already being exposed to some disappointments in life, facing the reality that not all things go your way or what you’d hoped for. And as one try leads to another, our emotional, mental, and spiritual state begin to take a physiological tole on us. Unavoidably, the more forward action we take, the more trials and tribulations are met. Rising actions can, therefore, be several chapters as we run into several stumbles, sometimes one after another, hardly a breath to take in between. In a book or a movie, these are the suspenseful cliffhangers to end every chapter – the parts where one is sure to have finally gotten to that point of elation only to discover that the arrived destination had only a twisted plot to move the direction yet to another part of life. How you address your stumbles or your obstacles during these phases of rising actions, chapter after chapter, scene after scene, will be very telling of how dynamic the next stage, the climax, will be in your life.
You know if a book or movie is good when you’ve arrived at the anticipated climax of the story and you dare not get up out of your seat to miss a line or scene of the story. Climax, after all, is the highest point of intensity level. In your life, this is the moment in time where you say to yourself, ‘This is that defining moment of my story. I’m either going to be talked about for years to come, inspiring many by my story told, or I’m going to be forgotten or placed in the category of disappointments’. This moment here, is your main event, where you have either taken one of the three options: fight, flight, or freeze to arrive at this point. Whichever option you’ve chosen becomes the pinnacle of your life. That time in life where you look back many years later, perhaps many who will have come to remember the moment with you to say- that was the telling moment. This may then be your point of attack to the fullest. All guns may have been out in this part of your life, perhaps knowing that this, after this, things could wind down with great satisfaction or contrarily, unfulfilled moments in life. We hope to arrive to the next stage, the falling action, with great satisfaction, not dismay.
Falling action phase is that “coast is clear” part where, if you gave it your all, then you’ve arrived to reap the harvest. Similarly, if you had shortcomings or discontinuity during your rising actions leading the climax to somewhat become bleak, the falling action becomes more of a passing by with nothing to really take a stand to. This was supposed to be the point where you finally get to take a breath because you’ve finished running your race. However, if you gave up on your dreams and aspirations long ago, this part of your story just blended in with many non-actions. What could have been your rising actions became predictably monotone or non-suspenseful phases. Consequently, the climax becomes nonexistent or dissatisfying to the audience. It’s that book or movie where disappointedly, someone compellingly rushes to avenues of social media to forewarn others, “Don’t even bother reading this book!” or “Don’t waste your money on this movie!” Hence, you just arrive to your end, ironically called the resolution for those who gave every one of their chapters their all, having long lost any battle to make the ending even worth getting to.
How will your story end if you barely, if any, had any rising actions? Like a movie to remember, will your story have such an incomparable climax that many in the years to follow will try to level with your story or outdo it?
A resolution, is generally a plan of intent or decision. Understand that the resolution is not THE end. Your story is not over until you actually see that ubiquitous message. Rather, a resolution is that final chapter, the epilogue, in many cases. A resolution, essentially, is HOW something comes to an end. It is important to understand the difference because the latter suggests action, while the former merely indicates a surrender. If there is to be no resolution to your life story, it’s to say that it ended long ago- the moment you decided to either fight the wrong battles, flee from the battles you should have fought, or froze to succumb to whatever life served you without any action at all. These are those books people close midway because they have no desire to see the foreseen disappointing end since all just seemed to go on, page after page, with no change for the better. These are the movies where people get up before it even ends, suggesting that they want their money back because the movie was dull and boring- no suspense; no excitement. If you haven’t already related the word “resolution” to familiar lives around us, these are those lives that have chosen to just be and not become.
Does your life story have a resolution? If so, what resolution will you have arrived to when your story is coming to an end? Will you have come to terms that you lived a good life, having given it your all? Or, will you face darkness in your last hour, having emptied your heart, soul, and spirit of many potential moments you could have owned and gained victory in? Will you arrive with utmost satisfaction or an unfulfilled life?
How will you end your story?
Will yours be remembered?
