How To Tell Your Best Life Story
There is freedom that comes with owning your truth, the stories of who you are and what you have experienced. Learn to embrace your authentic stories. There is a blog that I really love to read called Humans of New York (www.humansofnewyork.com).The founder, Brandon Stanton, says he began it as a photography project in 2010. His initial goal was to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers on the street and create an exhaustive catalogue of the city’s inhabitants. But along the way he began to interview them as well, and his photos started featuring their quotes and short stories from their lives. The project is still going today, and now has more than 20 million followers. It has been behind the production of two bestselling books.
This is such an amazing social experiment to think that in this large city in North America, where many assume people would be cold and standoffish, they are genuinely interested in other people’s stories.
What we have learned from this blog is that the power of the human story gives voice to people’s lives and creates connections with each other. People are comforted and bolstered by the knowledge that there are others who have walked similar journeys to theirs.
It has reinforced to me that a crucial step to owning your awesome is going through this process of reflection and owning and finding value and power in your own story. Through reflection and understanding, you can validate yourself, your experiences and restore your own confidence.
In my book, Bold Courage, I talk about creating a Time Capsule Blue Print as a framework for a series of events that have power to elicit various emotions that are unique to your life and the character of who you are. They are the stories that show how you have changed or stayed the same and who you desire to become. When you take stock of your life’s milestones and become more aware of your stories, you will automatically start to increase your appreciation for your life.
There is freedom that comes with owning your truth, the stories of who you are and what you have experienced. There is also freedom that comes from letting down your walls of pretending to be something more or less than what you are. When you learn to stand in your truth, embrace your authentic stories and start living more intentionally, you get closer to your awesome. By continuing your story it sets the stage for living your blueprint in real time and that is where life gets exciting.
Bold courage can take flight, and you will be cognizant of the experiences you choose and what will be worthwhile and make you proud to add to your blueprint. Have bold courage to stretch your limits, to embrace and conquer your fears and to acknowledge your daily wins and losses, as they are part of your living history.
All of us have many stories in life including the ones we are willing to share and the ones we prefer to keep secret. Some stories focus on defining negative moments, while others accent beautiful things that happened to us. Our choice of which stories to tell says as much about us as the words we are uttering. Sometimes we tell a story of a defining moment repeatedly, and then we grow tired of the story and what it represents, so we give up that story and focus on another. That is when we are exhibiting real growth.
It takes courage to give up our familiar stories and courage to tell new ones. But in the process, we change and we encourage others to look at us with a fresh perspective.
How often do you change your stories? Is it time for a new narrative?
Paula Morand, CSP is a leadership building, revenue boosting, strategy expanding keynote speaker, author and visionary. This dreaming big and being bold expert brings her vibrant energy, humor and wisdom to ignite individuals, organizations and communities to lead change, growth and bold impact. 23 years, 25,000 clients, 19 countries, 11 books, former radio personality, 10x award winning entrepreneur and humorous emcee.
To check out Paula’s newest book, “Bold Courage: How Owning Your Awesome Changes Everything” go to Amazon http://ow.ly/i8yW307ix67
To book Paula to speak email bookings@paulamorand.com or call toll-free 1-888-502-6317.