Self Improvement
Writing Your Story Matters
Your story is a tapestry showing everyone what your value most.
Your story matters. It matters a lot. And while your story belongs to you, beware of those who would make it theirs. If you leave it to chance and are not deliberate to tell it in your own voice, others may take it and rewrite it from their perspective.
Start at the beginning
Think deeply about what belongs in your story and what doesn’t. Identify what you give your attention to and how your beliefs and values influenced your actions through the years. Remember those you helped and hurt along the way.
Most stories center around a theme. Yours might too. In his book, Your One Word, YouTuber Evan Carmichael helps people discover theirs. His happens to be “Believe”. Discovering your one word can help you uncover the theme of your story and perhaps even a greater purpose. If you just aren’t sure what your word is, what might you like it to be? When those you care about think about you what is the first word that comes to their mind?
Our story grounds us to who we are at our center.
The storyteller matters
Does the person who tells your story matter? It does. Quite a bit; actually.
You should tell your own story. And there are consequences when you don’t.
When you fail to tell your own story, people may ascribe to you untrue motivations (why you do what you do). Some may go so far and make themselves the hero of your story by taking credit for your successes. I bet you wouldn’t want that to happen.
The good news is you get to decide who influences your story and the overall narrative. You include what belongs and what doesn’t. While you may not get to decide its ending, you do get to describe your journey. Your thoughts. Your feelings. Your words. Where you came from and the direction you are heading.
Who is important to you? Which of your values will come through when someone experiences it?
Don’t leave out the drama
If you are reading this, your life-story has started but has yet to finish. If each human life were captured in books, certainly there would be one with your name and fingerprint on it. It is your legacy; how others know you were here.
Your story is interesting enough to have its own volume. It even has your name on it!
Whether you actually write a physical book or not isn’t important. What is important is we press on to live our best life. Consistent with our virtues, maximizing our talents, and giving our best selves to others.
When we strive for our best and fail, we get drama. This means we don’t leave out how we helped and how we hurt those around us. Sometimes on accident, and other times on purpose. Our story becomes interesting because we share how we responded to hard circumstances. The result shows up in how we impact those around us. What will people remember when they think of you? The feelings that imprint in others give us a clue.
Your story is partially written. How might you influence its conclusion?
How others see your story
You get to decide. Our lives are like a tapestry woven together by hand using our thoughts, feelings, and actions that reflect our deepest self. When we are gone and others see it from a distance, they gain insight into what was most important to us and the causes we championed.
What might you weave into your tapestry and what actions can you take to get started?
Some questions to get you thinking
- Who are the people you love?
- Where did you come from (our roots)?
- What troubles have you faced and how did you respond?
- What are your greatest joys in life?
- Who are those people who have stood against you?
- What is at your center?
4 actions to take
- Write down what is most important to you right now.
- Make a list of what events most shaped you.
- Tie together your values to each event and what are stories you could tell about it.
- Write it down
Last thoughts
Knowing your story matters. Telling it in your own words to people that care matters more. While they may look upon you with fond memories after you are gone, those you care about surely would like to hear the words from you. Only you can tell your story best. After all, it is yours.
Shepherding: The art of becoming the leader others want to follow