Do You Believe You Have a Story to Tell? Part Two...
In Part Two of this two-part article, I will share a valuable tool that anyone can use to initiate the discovery and development process to bring their story to life.
However, if you missed part one of the two-part article, you will want to go back and read it so you do not miss out on a valuable exercise to help you prepare for the battle within the mind.
To give a short recap of Part One of this article, I shared with you how each and everyone of us can take steps to create a proper mindset that will allow us to operate more effectively in basically any situation we face. A comment I frequently make when sharing about the mindset is, “No matter where you go, your mind is always there.” If we don’t prepare for the battle that is waged in our mind, the likelihood of difficulty and/or defeat are pretty high. When we get the mind right, everything else can start to fall into place. It takes intentional actions though. It doesn’t come easy.
Part One of the article laid the foundation, as I shared how taking advantage of an opportunity to Master Your Mind™ will add value to you and those that you have the chance to influence. You can’t stand by and allow negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, doubt and fear stand in your way. Completing the Mindset Inventory is the exercise that I walked you through, which is exactly what I do for pretty much every client that I work with on a set basis, as well as those that take part in programs or courses, to include the Life-Story Workshop™ and Your Story Your Stage™ course.
Now for Part Two…
With the groundwork in place for a more successful outcome, the next step is to work on Your Story. As I stated, we all have a story to tell, and it can be used for many different purposes and in various ways. If you have a desire to use it for stories of personal inspiration, you will have it prepared and ready to go, as well as the ability to tweak it to fit the audience and timeframe. Perhaps you want to develop a story that incorporates your origin story, what got you to where you are and how you can help people, which you will then use as part of your brand and business marketing. The possibilities are nearly endless, so I want to share with you how you can start the process and walk out the journey of developing your own story...the one that someone needs and wants to hear...from you!
To find Your Story, I’d like to share with you a valuable tool that you can use to start the process of discovery and development. I use the Life-Story Timeline™ during workshops designed to first address mindset challenges, then illuminate the story that lies within each person that takes part in the workshop. The timeline exercise is an easy-to-follow process where each participant simply starts at their first memory in life, all the way up to the current day. This usually takes a couple iterations to capture as much of the life-story information as possible. It is a good idea to go back to the exercise periodically to reflect and see if there is anything else to add to the timeline. The process works like this:
- Draw a line in the middle of a piece of paper (landscape gives more space) or whiteboard
- Start on the left side of the line and place a tick mark for the first memory
- Above/below that mark, write a few words to serve as a memory jogger
- Continue to place a tick mark, add some words and move to the next
- Continue this process until the end of round one
- After the first run-through, set it aside, if needed, then come back to it
- With an open mind and fresh eyes, return to the early days and work to the present
- At this point, there should be a pretty good amount of marks and words to work with
- Come back to the timeline periodically to update and add information
This initial part of the exercise is oftentimes pretty revealing, in that there is now a visible depiction that you DO have a story to work with. You will have discovered Your Story, and now it is time to move from discovery towards the development phase. It’s in the development phase that you will begin to identify a theme, see similarities from different instances and points in your life and start to formulate some idea of how you can put it all together. Along your timeline, you will see that your story is there...no matter what it looks like, it is there. The next portion of the development phase is where the fun begins...brainstorming and creation.
I hope that I painted a visual picture of how you can Master Your Mind™ as you prepare for the battles that come your way, and how the Life-Story Timeline™ helps create the road map for Your Story. Now, the question that comes next is, what are you going to do to make Your Story a reality?
Now, I want to revisit the questions I posed to you at the onset of this article.
Do you believe you have a story to tell? I believe the answer should be, “Yes!” I also want you to consider Your Story and how you might use it to impact and influence others. That audience that is waiting for you to share Your Story, they are still there. They could be at a local educational institution, professional association, social club, correctional facility, shelter, place of worship, TEDx stage or any number of places. No matter where they are, the one thing that is needed most, is Your Story!
Do you believe that there is an audience, of one or many, that needs and wants to hear your story? Jon Acuff said it well when he said, “Sometimes God redeems your story by surrounding you with people who need to hear your past, so it doesn’t become their future.”
Do you believe you can make it a reality? Henry Ford shared a historic quote that I believe fits this moment very well. He said, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” That is the mindset side of the equation, the rest is in the action...YOUR action.
Are you ready to take action to bring Your Story to life? I will leave you with one more quote, from Pablo Picasso. Picasso stated, “Action is the foundational key to all success.”
I encourage you to explore both the mindset inventory and the timeline exercises. After you complete the mindset inventory and create your own timeline, let me know what you think and how I can help you go to the next level or explore solutions to address your individual needs.
#mindsetcoach #speakercoach #yourstory
Connect with me to receive your FREE copy of the Master Your Mind™ Mindset Inventory and Life-Story Timeline™ exercise worksheets.
