Remember that kid in The Sixth Sense?
He sees dead people.
They’re everywhere.
Psst…They don’t know they’re dead.
I’m just like that kid.
(Well, sort of. I don’t see dead people – thank goodness for that!)
I see stories.
They’re everywhere.
Vibrant, colorful, ongoing, ever-developing, meaningful STORIES.
And… psst… people don’t know they have them.
After two decades of finding, pitching, and producing stories for television, it’s hard for me not to see the story in just about everything.
Wherever I go. They’re just there, like little thought-bubbles above people’s heads.
And, because I believe in the incredible power of a story, that’s an exciting thing.
Often I see the meaning in moments most people wouldn’t even think of as stories. I blog about those stories to encourage others to find meaning in the moments of their own lives.
What type of meaning?
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Our stories aren’t merely crafted from mundane moments in our lives. We create them daily through our actions and behaviors and intentions and interpretations.
But like those ghosts in The Sixth Sense who don’t know they are dead, many people don’t know they have a story.
They go throughout their lives waiting for something to happen, fretting the plot twists and turns that send them off course and regret when things don’t work out the way they envisioned.
It’s why we need to Take Command of Our Story.
Past. Present. Future.
Our PAST story – where we’ve been and what we’ve done and how we encapsulate those experiences into a narrative that drives our present action.
Our PRESENT story – all of the challenges and opportunities we face and choices we make within them that create our next chapter.
Our FUTURE story – the most exciting one! You’re the active author of your life staring at a blank page, one you can “write” upon daily. Will you let your past narrative dictate your future results? What happens next?
I see in you a GREAT STORY – past, present, and future.
In fact, I’ve got a sixth sense of it.
It’s yours to own. See it, believe in it, act upon it.
Valerie Gordon is a 10x Emmy-award-winning television producer, longtime storyteller, and the founder and owner of career and communications firm The Storytelling Strategist. Through keynote presentations, innovative group workshops, and coaching, she helps high-achievers find the power in their own story to land the job, seal the deal, nail the presentation, improve their brand and create a next chapter with meaning. Read more from the Commander-in-She blog and follow her on LinkedIn.