Tell Your Story, and Stick To It

STORY:
- an account of incidents or events
- ANECDOTE (a short story about an interesting or funny event or occurrence); especially an amusing one

When I started in business I was told, The best way to connect with people is to tell them your story...

To be honest, I struggled with that idea. I didn't think I had a story...at least, I didn't have one worth telling. I didn't think I was as smart, or as handsome, or as talented, or as skilled, or as "lucky," as anyone else. I was sure other people had more compelling events in their lives to share than I did; I didn't see why anybody would be interested in knowing anything about me at all.  I truly thought if anybody heard me try to talk about myself I'd bore them, turn them off, and they wouldn't want to have anything to do with me.

As it turns out, nothing could have been further from the truth. I began to learn how wrong I was going back to my days as a member of Toastmasters International back in the early 2000's. When I shared my Icebreaker speech (a talk where you share something about yourself for about 5-6 minutes), I was surprised to learn that the audience was fascinated with what I had to say. Not only that, I learned that sharing my story wasn't the big, nerve-wracking struggled I imagined it to be; it was actually fun to talk about some of the experiences I've had.

But you know what was the best part? I found out that people don't want to be dazzled or impressed, they just want to know there's someone out there that they can relate to in some way. There's comfort in knowing that someone else has gone through the same adversity you're facing, and found a way to overcome it. As the saying goes, "no man is an island," and everyone wants to connect with another human being on some level.  There's a big difference between solitude and loneliness, and sometimes the loneliest feeling in the world is not being all by yourself, but finding yourself in the midst of a crowd and feeling like you have nothing in common with anyone around you. The anguish of such a moment defies description; believe me, I know that heartache all too well.

Always keep this in mind when reaching out to others:

Sharing your story gives another human being a glimpse into your heart, your very self. You are sharing with others who you truly are, from the inside out. And that's what people want most of all, to connect with other human beings from the inside out. They don't want to piece of your mind, they want a piece of your heart. To tell your story to another says to them, I trust you with this piece of heart, this is who I am. What you give comes back. If you give yourself to another, you receive another to yourself in return. It's not perfect and it's not exact, but as you give of yourself, you receive from others who are willing to trust a piece of themselves with you.

"Give people a fact or an idea and you enlighten their minds; tell them a story and you touch their souls." - Hasidic proverb

Share your story, don't be ashamed of it. The fact that you are still around to share it means you have been successful to some degree, and your example can be a source of inspiration to others. You never know how much one word spoken from you can mean to someone who desperately needs to hear it.

"The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry, And a wise friend's timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger." - Proverbs 25:11 The Message Bible

Tell your story and stick to it. Don't back down. Nobody knows your story as well as you do, nobody can dispute your story because they didn't live your life (and you did), and for what it's worth, as you tell what you know and how you got through what you went through, your words may be the glue that helps someone else keep it together, because they didn't know they could keep moving forward despite their challenges ...until they heard from you.

 That's all for now, gotta run.  Until we meet again, remember:

Keep it simple... See ya!