Choose Your Own Adventure

I tell my writing students that every story has the same basic structure:

Someone wants something.

Something gets in their way.

They have to make choices

Their choices have consequences.

Every story has this structure because it’s satisfying. We love stories because they explain why we’re here: why we desire, and struggle, and grow and change.  And the most meaningful stories are about those moments, in between the long stretches of sameness and tedium, when life forces us out of our comfort zones and gives us a chance to learn and grow. 

When you look at life this way, you realize that the obstacles in our path aren’t a bug in the system--they’re a feature. Without them, our lives would have no more plot or meaning than a phone book.

I’m not saying that we should seek out adversity just for the sake of it. On the other hand, we shouldn’t organize our lives around avoiding it. Don’t ignore a desire just because something stands in its way. If anything, give it special consideration. Sometimes the hard stuff is the really good stuff.