Everyone Has a Story

We all have a story. Where we grew up, what sports we played, our family and friends we associate ourselves with, what we do for fun, etc. But the kicker is not all of us go out and tell people that story. Now, I know it can be hard for some people to share personal things about themselves with complete strangers but what if your story has the potential to have a real impact on someone's life? What if your story could change the projection of someone's life path? I want you to contemplate that as you continue to read on.

Those of you that know me know that I host a podcast called Up Before You. It's a show where I bring on a new guest every week to discuss their life, experiences, how they got to where they are today, and what the future holds moving forward. For me, it's a ton of fun and I learn a lot of new stuff with every guest I have the pleasure of talking to. Part of the challenge of this especially with people who don't have a huge Instagram following or well-known story is getting that great story out of them and into the light. That's where my creativity has to come in. I have to get creative in the ways that I interact with and ask people questions because that can determine if I get the whole story out or not. It's a really cool thing when people realize something about themselves or talk about something cool that they've never talked about with other people before. It's almost like the switch flips and Boom! The lights come on and they are suddenly glowing with energy. To watch that happen from the other side and be able to be apart of it is very fulfilling.

Anyway, the moral of the story today is to tell your story. Let people know who you are. The more you open yourself up and allow yourself to be vulnerable with others the more likely they are to relate and connect with you. You never know the impact of your story until you tell it. You might think it's dumb or boring but trust me it's not. That's just you in your own head making up excuses to not open yourself up. Even though we need each other for our survival and, as human beings, we thrive in a community setting we still think that we can do it all by ourselves. That we don't need to let others in and allow them to see who we are. But we do. It's ingrained in our DNA to gather and support one another, to connect and form friendships, and we do this by sharing stories with each other. I've grown to become a big fan of the idea that you never know the impact of a story until you tell it. AKA you never know how you are going to change someone's life until you open yourself up and connect with them.

Tell your story. Open up. Don't go at it alone. Who cares if people judge you for being vulnerable? The people that make fun of your vulnerabilities are only doing that because they themselves have twice as many vulnerabilities as you do. They just think that by pointing the finger and laughing at you that they all of a sudden look tough and cool because they don't have any problems. That can only go on for so long until one day they hit a breaking point and it all boils over. I used to be one of those people who kept to himself because I thought it showed toughness. What I learned from experience is that it doesn't. And, to be honest, it usually hurts the very people that mean the most to you when you do.

So, today, open up! Share your experiences, tell someone close to you that you love them, and try your very best to be yourself. Why would you want to be anything else?

Get After It.