If you’ve been around for a minute, you know that I often refer to the abilities and skills that we choose to hone as "tools in our toolbox." There is one tool that I believe is more important than all the rest.
The most powerful tool in your toolbox is Your Story.
Today let's talk about what Your Story is, how you can discover Your Story, and why Your Story is the most important weapon in your arsenal.
What is Your Story
The concept of "Your Story" sounds self-explanatory, and it is. It is also nuanced and unique to only you. I like to think of "Your Story" as a Ticket to Ride game. If you're familiar with the game, you know that the objective is to travel from Point A to Point B using rail cars. There are, on the game board, any number of route options that will carry you to your destination. You can make your way from New York to Los Angeles by way of Ohio, Montana, and Washington. Or you can make the same trip via New Orleans and Phoenix. In either scenario, your train cars stretch across the board from the East Coast to the West Coast.
Your Story is similar.
First, consider where your journey started. This is where your “route” begins. Did you discover a passion as a young person? In college? At some point in a job or in your career? What excites you? What is your Why? That is where your "Train Cars" begin.
Next, consider your destination. Where do you want to go? What is your dream? What are your goals? Where do you want your journey to take you? What is important to you? Where do you want to arrive? What does your "destination" look like to you?
The middle part is my favorite -- this is the good stuff -- the journey is made up of all of the train cars that stretch out in-between the "Beginning" and the "End." These "train cars" represent how you are getting to your destination. These “train cars” are the lessons learned. These are the Pennies in the Jar that we've previously referenced. The journey is where you are putting in the work. It is taking the path that works for you, and everything that goes along with that route.
All three of these elements, woven together, become Your Story. Why and where did you begin? Where are you going? And how are you making your way there?
Now, are you ready for the really good stuff? If there are no other take aways, let this be what sticks with you:
No two people are going to take the same path.
Read that again.
No two people are going to take the same path!
Your path is yours, uniquely! Your journey is yours, uniquely.
How to Discover Your Story
We've talked about what Your Story is, and now we need to figure out how we identify our own stories.
For me, discovering my Story looked like a lot of self-reflection, a self-interview of sorts. Some of the questions I asked myself included:
When do I lose all track of time? This is specifically referencing a “flow state” or when you’re “in the zone.” What are you doing when you look at the clock and realize that hours have passed?
If there was nothing I “should” be doing, how would I spend my time? For example, maybe you’ve heard sentiments like, “you should take over the family business,” or, “you should go to college.” What would you do unconstrained from should?
What is the most rewarding experience of which I’ve been a part?
What is the biggest obstacle I’ve overcome?
What do I want others to remember about me? What do I want to remember about myself? These two questions are specifically in relation to your legacy. As you reflect on your life, what do you want your story to be?
I also spent time reflecting on the timeline of how things have unfolded for me. Some events were easy to pin down on the calendar; graduations, certifications, hirings, interviews, new positions, new projects. Other aspects I reflected on in terms of timelines were:
When do I first remember feeling passionate about [insert any of your passions]?
When (and what) is the first memory I have of feeling electrified about my journey?
What conversations did I have that shaped the course of my career/journey/goal?
What were the most pivotal events in my Story, and when did they take place?
With your own self-reflection and timeline paired together, Your Story will begin to take shape. These questions can be applied on a macro or micro level. You can ask these questions about a specific time in your life/chapter in Your Story, or you can reflect on them with a "big picture," holistic approach.
Why Your Story is Your SuperPower
At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, "Okay, and? What difference does this make?"
I'm here to tell you that Your Story makes all the difference. Your Story is the most powerful tool in your tool belt, the best weapon in your arsenal, and your superpower. Here's why:
You are the only you.
You are the only person walking this entire earth with your specific set of experiences and circumstances. You alone have your body, mind, and perspective. No one has walked in your shoes more than, well, you. You are the only person who sees the world through the lens of you -- uniquely you. And there is a reason that perspective and lens is essential.
Everyone's voice is important and valuable. Without walking through the journey that you have, you wouldn't have the lens of experience that you do today. And that is powerful. Your voice at the table changes things. Without your voice and Your Story at the table, the world loses the lessons and perspective that you have to share with us.
How much could we all learn by sitting down and understanding the stories of those around us? We'd likely find out that so many of us are more alike than different, and that many of us are trying the best we can on our journeys.
That is why Your Story is the most important tool in your toolbox. It is important because no one else has that tool. Only you do. When you share Your Story, when you offer your lessons and perspectives to those around you, you let others pick up that tool and use it to build a future that is brighter and better than it would have been without your voice.
In Part II, we'll discuss telling Your Story -- how to share your voice and perspective with others. Until then, I hope you'll take time to reflect on your journey and come to understand how valuable it is to those around you.