Why Stories?

Human beings love stories. Don’t believe me?

Stories are behind our favorite songs and our strongest friendships. They are in our wedding vows, spiritual beliefs, around every campfire, and in every voting booth. Stories are the connective tissue that holds communities together while pushing them forward (we hope). They connect us to something larger than ourselves while also being deeply personal. Stories scale like nothing else in human history.

Narrative is inescapably hardwired in all of us, including me. 

I love traveling and meeting somebody from my same hometown. We feel a little camaraderie and even safety when chance meetings like this occur because we know their story and ours are similar. I am sure these chance meetings happen to you, too, as they are not as uncommon as we think.

We have all played the game of "what high school, and do you know this person or that person." Our minds search for similarities and, more importantly, differences between our stories. We do this unconsciously and quickly reveal each other's stories, allowing the connective tissue to take hold. The difference in each other's stories, however, is what sparks our interest and continues the conversation into new territory––maybe even a relationship.

Being different, zagging when everyone is zigging, is the foundation of your favorite Netflix show, why you love who you do, and inspires the best art.

This is where you expect this article to morph into a post about telling your "brand story" while I drop subtle hints about why you should hire me.

Instead, I will leave you with a question to meditate on. What makes you different? As an individual, spouse, parent, leader, and follower. What makes you different is your story. At least, what is the part of the story that the rest are interested in hearing.

What is your story?