Reflections: the First Step Toward Limitless Possibilities

What do a teenage babysitter, a Native American Shaman, a grandmother from a small town in rural France, and a trail boss on a cattle drive all have in common?

Storytelling!

These are the people, from all walks of life, who help weave the tapestry of life in their respective cultures.? And they’re not the only ones.? Think back through your own experience. ?I’m sure there will be a variety of people who have influenced your life and who you are today through the personal experiences/stories they shared with you.? Stories are what bind us together and help us to form our beliefs, values, and attitudes about life, about who we are, about how we behave, about how we conduct our professional and personal lives.

Without stories we have no past, no history, no touchstones for moving forward.? Without stories we have difficulty learning and internalizing new concepts.? Without stories our possibilities are limited rather than limitless.? Without stories we have no culture.

My mother told stories on the radio before I was born.? Throughout her life (she lived to be 101), she continued to tell stories at church and in various other community venues; young and old continued to be entranced by the power of the stories she told.? My father was a preacher.? He knew the importance of parables in his sermons.? After all, he had a great role model in the One who taught by parable for three years; those truths are still read and valued in our world today.?

Stories have always been part of my life.? As I reflect on more years than I sometimes care to admit, my earliest memories revolve around stories.? As a mom I passed the practice along, reading each night to my son until he was well past the age of reading for himself.? Today I see him, as a dad, reading to Luke each night before he goes to bed (He read to Charlotte as well, but at the age of “almost 11”, she reads her own “chapter books” and loves doing that.)!? As an educator I always used stories to illustrate and validate the concepts I was teaching.? As a professional in the financial services industry I shared stories and experiences with boards of directors, colleagues, management, and employees to illustrate how or why something should be considered, done differently, or just to bring a smile to the faces of those with whom I worked.? As a speaker, trainer, consultant, coach, and author I continue to use stories to connect with and influence others on a universal level.

What stories are you telling?? What powerful points can you illustrate for your colleagues, clients, family, or friends through the use of story?

We live new stories every day; we observe them in a multitude of places.? Some are obvious lessons.? Some are wrapped in packages where we least expect to find them and therefore, often miss them.? What stories are you missing?? Which ones are you sharing?? Are the stories you share influencing others in a sustainable way?? Are they memorable?? Are you contributing to the fabric of the cultures in which you participate?

In the answers to those questions, you will find limitless opportunities to craft and share those experiences that are part of your continuing story.? They may elicit a chuckle or two, perhaps even a tear, or they may assist others to do things differently, to accept what is beyond their control, or perhaps just to entertain.? The possibilities are limitless pretty much any way you look at it.

My challenge to each of us, is to look around, be more aware of how the things that are happening in your experience, whether directly or indirectly, can be shared with others in impactful and influential ways.? Let me know how it goes . . . I love hearing the stories from OPE (Other Peoples Experience).? You may be surprised that sharing our stories will help us understand that we are more alike than we are different!? And without getting on a “soapbox”, wouldn’t that be an amazing realization to share?? How different might our world become?

#influence #storytelling #limitlesspossibilities