This quote is special to me as a past therapist and Life Coach. I hear a lot of stories from others and it comes naturally to me to connect and understand another’s experience based on my training and personality. Your story is important and powerful, no matter what it is.
Whatever your story is, when you share it with someone else, it becomes part of them too. They can feel what you felt, imagine what you’ve experienced, and maybe relate to it from their personal experience. Think of a time where you shared something with your best friend. How did it feel? Typically, you will feel good sharing a story with someone who can provide you with empathy and support. It becomes a part of their life too because you’ve shared it, they understand it and now have participated it in vicariously through listening and supporting.
Like when you watch an emotional moment on a TV or movie, it’s the same thing. You can feel what the character feels and their story is suddenly part of you. For example, if you’ve ever seen the movie The Notebook and haven’t cried, you might not be human…
Stories are powerful, whether shared through friendships, media, or other platforms. When I speak, I tell a lot of stories, especially to businesses who are used to not hearing them with strategies and formulas in their place. I cannot attend a speaking engagement and not tell a story…stories are what helps me connect to the people and the people to me! The power of the story can elevate business just as well as it does a movie.
Particularly on social media today, authenticity is not only a buzz word but also a story. These stories are connecting us more than ever before…to brands, influencers, and regular people who we admire through the stories they tell whether through words, audio, pictures, or video. Every movement, meme, and article has a story behind it and a person in front of it.
So take this quote with you as a gift. Understand that telling your story is just as moving as you listening to someone else’s. We are never alone in our story…many others share it, it is part of them too.
We are all made up of the compassion, empathy, and resilience our personal story deserves.
Don’t forget when you share your story with someone else, you pass on all of that to another and receive a gift of deep connection that can never be replaced.
