Your Story Has Value!
Ok, children gather around, it’s story time! Do you remember hearing those words from your kindergarten teacher? Do you remember the feeling of anticipation about what was to happen? The building excitement as you and your classmates sat down, crossed your legs, and had a laser focus as your teacher showed you the book cover and then opened it to start reading. This wasn’t play-time, this was STORY TIME! Your ears were tuned into just the sound of your teacher’s voice. You knew something BIG was about to happen.
Why was that? What was it about story time that instantly subdued the rambunctiousness of 5yr olds? I believe the thing that commands the attention of children is something that some of us as adults have lost touch with…imagination. Humans of the kindergarten age have wild and vivid imaginations. To them, nothing is impossible. Nothing is unachievable. They don’t know or understand what limitations are. If they can dream it, it can exist.
The stories that are told to our precious little ones are very imaginative and full of illustrations. The combination of character driven voice acting by teachers and the book’s pictures serve as keys to open up a door of endless possibilities in the minds of our kiddos. They hang on to every word and feel as if they are connected emotionally to the characters in the story. It’s a very powerful thing. Most often the stories told to the little ones are lessons about character traits that we as adults want to instill in our children. Things like being kind to others, saying please and thank you, having fun as a kid, sharing your toys, being respectful and safety crossing the street to name a few. Presenting these important subjects in a way that meets kids where they are is key to getting cooperation and buy-in from these very young minds. Due to their age, it certainly wouldn’t work to give them a thick textbook and have them sit for an hour or two and listen to a lecture. That’s for us grown folks, right? Well, maybe not. Perhaps some of us grownups would respond well to a good old-fashioned story-time! I don’t know about sitting cross-legged on the floor though, because some of us may not be able to get back up! But what might be a good idea is for those of us with stories in our heads to take time to share those stories for the benefit of everyone.
But how do we do that? How about writing a book? You could write your autobiography starting with your early days when you were knee-high to a grasshopper and share all the details of your life’s journey and all the lessons you’ve learned. You could write a blog and call it My Life’s Story and put it out weekly to share your ups and downs. You could do a podcast where you have guest speakers who support the conversation you’d like to have. Or maybe a live chat where you take questions and comments from the public. It’s clear that today there are countless ways to share your story. But that’s the method. Where’s the why? Why should you share your story? Why should you open yourself to the world? What’s the big deal about you? Who would care about learning about you? Please read on…You may be surprised to learn about the power your story has.
3 Important Reasons You Should Share Your Story
1.There’s Power in Vulnerability
What? You’re saying that I actually gain power by lowering my guard and opening up myself to the world? No way! Well…YES way. Being vulnerable does indeed feed power to the person being vulnerable. Here’s why. There’s a lot of effort involved in protecting oneself; a tremendous amount of vigilance is required. To be effective, the focus can’t lie anywhere else other than on looking out for potential invaders to the fort. So, in a way, a focus on protecting oneself is kind of a show of strength. But that approach limits the potential reach that an individual could have and the potential impact that individual could have on the lives of others. The release of the protection mode doesn’t really create power but transfers it. The brain space that previously focused on holding it in can now focus on other creative endeavors, like relating and bonding to others. We’re now free to connect on a deeper level with those around us when we’re not worried about hiding behind self-built walls. We become less super-human and more…just human. And that deeper connection with others is truly where the real power lies.
2.Promote self-healing in you and others
If you’ve been living on this earth for longer than a few minutes you likely have experienced some ups and downs in your life. Maybe some extreme downturns or downright tragedies. If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll probably find it easy to share your story with a group of wannabes wanting to start their own businesses. Or if you’re a multi-millionaire, financial expert, you’ll likely have no trouble sharing the steps you took to reach your level of success. But if you’re someone who has experienced significant downturns or downright tragedies, you may think that no one is interested in hearing your story. On the contrary, people are craving stories just like yours. And sharing your story with others can serve to help you.
Most of us know that sometimes, bottled up emotions have a way of escaping that isn’t necessarily healthy for us or those around us. Instead of sealing up perhaps a better way would be to deal with those emotions effectively by releasing them. Some choose to do this through visits to a professional therapist. Some write books, go on speaking engagements, or utilize one of the many technology tools available today. Regardless of how it’s done, the actual sharing of your story has a way of validating your existence beyond just identifying you with what you’ve been through. It sets you apart and above those past circumstances and is somewhat therapeutic. There’s something about you putting your story into words and saying them out loud that gives you the ability to repair and rebuild yourself. Additionally, the people who hear you will identify with your story, even if they haven’t had the same experiences. They can take tidbits of your life and apply it to their unique situations. You’ll then build trust and support with groups which will serve to lift you up!
3.To Inspire-Awaken-Encourage
Have you ever had what you thought was a great idea? Something that you were extremely excited about? Something you were on fire for? Well if you went full steam ahead right away…Good For You! But maybe you didn’t proceed with action. Maybe you let your excitement die down and it went on the “back burner”. Your idea didn’t disappear, but just kinda went to sleep. Then, jump forward sometime in the future and you hear a speech, see a movie, read a book or come across an article that awakens your idea. Now the fire in your belly is back! Interesting huh? Isn’t it great that merely hearing someone else’s story gave light to your vision? You have the power to do that for some else right now. You don’t have to be rich and famous. You don’t need to have super-human powers. You just need to share. Share what you’ve been through and where you’re going. Share your story.
Think of how amazing it would be for you to be the spark that ignites someone else’s fire. Talk about paying it forward…wow! And before you think you’ve got to have an audience of thousands to be effective, you merely have to start. Start writing a blog. Start recording videos. Start speaking with family and friends. Just start.