I was recently watching David Blaine’s show Do Not Attempt, where he travels the world in search of people doing extraordinary things – pushing their minds and bodies beyond their perceived limitations. Watching this, I started thinking about how I’ve allowed my own perceived limitations to stop me. In that moment of realization, something opened up for me. The act of watching these people push themselves jolted me out of my own way.
This experience reminded me of something profound: we are not neutral observers of the content we consume. What we take in shapes how we think, and how we think shapes the world around us.
As January unfolds, a time when many of us focus on what we put into our bodies, there’s something even more powerful at play: what we’re feeding our minds. You’ve heard the phrase “you are what you eat.” But have you considered that you are what you consume – not just nutritionally, but informationally, emotionally, and narratively?
This is where the Poetic Principle of Appreciative Inquiry becomes transformative. It tells us something profound: human systems are not machines following predictable rules. They are more like open books, constantly being written and rewritten. And here’s the remarkable part, the part I love the most, we are both the authors and the stories themselves.
The Poetic Principle: Reality as an Ongoing Narrative
The Poetic Principle is one of the five core principles of Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based approach to change and transformation. At its heart, this principle suggests that human organizations and lives are not fixed entities but living narratives that we co-create through the stories we tell, the questions we ask, and the experiences we choose to focus on.
Think of your life as a book that’s being written in real-time. Every conversation you have, every piece of media you consume, every story you tell about yourself – these are all contributing paragraphs to your ongoing narrative.
The Poetic Principle reminds us that we have agency in this authorship. We can choose which chapters to reread, which themes to emphasize, and which storylines to develop.
The word “poetic” here isn’t just about beauty or artistry, though those matter too. It refers to “poiesis” – the Greek concept of bringing something into being through creative expression. We are constantly engaged in poiesis, whether we realize it or not. The question is: are we doing it consciously or unconsciously?
For me, the idea that we can write and rewrite our stories is artistic. We are only bound by our own limitations, a lesson I find I have had to relearn many times.
What You Consume Creates How You Think
As January unfolds and we find ourselves bombarded with messages about who we should be and what we should achieve, the Poetic Principle offers a crucial insight: the content we consume literally shapes our internal narrative.
When you scroll through social media first thing in the morning, you’re not just passively observing. You’re ingesting stories about what matters, what’s possible, what’s broken, and what success looks like. When you watch the news, you’re absorbing narratives about the world, whether it’s a place of danger or opportunity, scarcity or abundance.
Neuroscience backs this up. Our brains don’t distinguish much between stories we hear and experiences we live. When we consume content, whether it’s a podcast, a conversation, or a Netflix series, our neural pathways light up as if we’re experiencing those events ourselves.
We’re literally rewiring our brains based on the narratives we expose ourselves to.
This is why the people who consume true crime documentaries constantly may find themselves feeling more anxious about safety. Why those who binge inspirational content may feel more motivated and hopeful. Why reading about compassion and connection can actually make us more empathetic in our daily lives.
You are not a neutral observer of information. You are a sponge, absorbing the stories, emotions, and worldviews of everything you consume, just like I did with that show. And those absorbed narratives become the lens through which you interpret your own life.
From Thought to Reality: The Creative Power of Narrative
Here’s where it gets even more interesting. The Poetic Principle doesn’t just say that what we consume shapes how we think. It goes further: how we think shapes the world around us.
This isn’t mystical thinking; it’s practical psychology and sociology. When you internalize stories of scarcity, you begin to see scarcity everywhere. You make decisions from a place of fear and protection. You interact with others through a lens of competition rather than collaboration.
And guess what? Your behavior then creates more scarcity in your actual experience. You’ve manifested your narrative into reality.
Conversely, when you consume and internalize stories of possibility, resilience, and human goodness, you start to notice opportunities where others see obstacles. You approach challenges with curiosity rather than dread. You build connections instead of walls.
And your external world begins to reflect these internal narratives back to you.
The women I work with in my Recalibrate practice experience this transformation constantly. When they shift from asking “What’s wrong with me and how do I fix it?” to “What’s authentic to me and how do I honor it?”, everything changes. They’re not denying their struggles or bypassing their pain; they’re simply changing the narrative focus. And that shift in narrative creates a shift in energy, which creates a shift in how they show up, which creates tangible transformation in their lives.
A January Invitation: Curate Your Consumption
As we stand at the threshold of this new year, the Poetic Principle offers us a powerful practice: become conscious curators of our consumption.
Ask yourself: What stories am I exposing myself to daily? What narratives am I rehearsing in my mind? What conversations am I participating in, and are they generative or depleting?
This isn’t about toxic positivity or pretending everything is wonderful when it’s not. It’s about intentionality. It’s about recognizing that you have agency in the ongoing story of your life, and that story is being co-written every single day by the content you consume.
If you’re feeling stuck, anxious, or unfulfilled, look at your information diet. Are you feeding yourself stories of limitation or possibility? Are you surrounding yourself with narratives that drain you or energize you? Are you rehearsing the story of who you’ve been, or authoring the story of who you’re becoming?
The Poetic Principle reminds us that we are not passive recipients of reality. We are active participants in creating it through the narratives we embrace and embody.
Writing Your Next Chapter
January is traditionally a time of fresh starts and bold resolutions. But perhaps the most powerful resolution you could make this year isn’t about what you’ll do, it’s about what you’ll consume and the narrative you’ll craft from it.
Start paying attention to the stories you’re telling yourself and the stories being told to you. Notice which ones make you feel expansive and which ones make you contract. Actively seek out narratives of human resilience, creativity, and connection. Engage with content that challenges you to grow rather than confirms your fears.
Remember: you are both the author and the story. The life you’re living right now is the direct result of the narratives you’ve been rehearsing and embodying, many of which you absorbed unconsciously from your environment.
But here’s the beautiful truth the Poetic Principle offers: you can change the story anytime. You can choose different narratives to consume. You can ask different questions. You can emphasize different chapters of your past and write different possibilities for your future.
The blank page of January is waiting. What story will you write?
Ready to dive deeper into your recalibration journey? Discover more transformative insights on my Medium page and YouTube channel. For ongoing inspiration, catch the latest Disrupting Default podcast episodes on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
