To Make a Difference, Find Your Story

The journey toward finding what is uniquely yours to do begins with understanding your authentic self, your story. Being anchored in your story energizes you for impact. But without knowing your true self, you really don’t know how and where your unique gifts can best be used.

Equally important is deciding which story you are helping to write.  As Wendell Berry said:

The significance – and ultimately the quality – of the work we do is determined by our understanding of the story in which we are taking part.

Perhaps you feel you were born into a story and given a compelling place in its dramatic arc.  Alternatively, maybe you feel an urge to participate in several stories and aren’t yet sure which one appeals most to you.  Or maybe you sense the world calling you to write a new story – creating a narrative for our times that is sorely needed.

How do you find the right story as an anchor for your life?

It begins with making time to reflect on your direct experience.  Our lives tend to be driven by expectations from others:  parents, teachers, corporate leaders, and religion all signal what we should do. Yet we can get so busy “doing” that we lose the plot of our own story line in the process.

  The following questions can help you discern your own story:

• What times in your life have you been most fulfilled…in work, relationships, or activities?

• What made those times fulfilling? Was it the setting, the people, the success, the activities, the mission?

• How did you personally contribute to the success of an endeavor?

• What did you bring to the table that nobody else could…what kind of feedback did you get?

• On the flip side, what settings, people, work, or environments were less fulfilling? What aspects of those did you find most draining?

Make a list of those parts of your life that brought fulfillment and those that did not. List specific reasons why some were awesome and some lousy. As you work through this you begin to uncover what you care about, who you truly are, and where your heart’s deep gladness lies.

Chances are your story has not yet been written. Isn’t it about time you got started?

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And that’s The Gist of It™ - Ideas to advance dignity, practice humility, and develop leaders of character and integrity.

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Marilyn Gist, PhD