stories have the power to connect
Last weekend, I was at Kripalu participating in a workshop about creating transformational workshops. (It still makes me giggle to think of taking a workshop about workshops!)
While the weekend was packed with useful information about how transformation happens, there was one sentence that struck me…
Telling your story makes it OK for others to tell theirs.
How timely! It’s been a long road to move through parts of my story, and lately, I’ve felt a shift coming.
But, sharing my story? Still. No. Way.
My story is too boring or scandalous, depending on the audience. It’s arrogant, embarrassing, self-righteous, and pointless. My story has no purpose and serves no one but me.
Except that it might.
Transformation can begin when you claim your story. In telling your story, you can begin to move through it, process it, and move forward.
This is something I’ve known in my head for a while. I’ve listened to people’s stories and have noticed how they move me toward change.
During the workshop, in the spirit of Kripalu, I tried something different and told my story to a complete stranger. For an intense five minutes, I hurriedly and nervously pitched the story of why I do the work I do. I saw her holding eye contact the entire time, but it wasn’t until the bell of saving grace rung that I noticed tears in her eyes. She simply said,
That’s amazing.
When she told me her story, I sat there stunned with a lump in my throat and a lifted heart. In the being seen by her and the seeing of her, what I knew to be true in my head began to ring true in my heart. I felt settled and content. There was no where to go and nothing to do. The living of, processing through, and telling of my story had come full circle.
Its charge gone.
Its lessons free for the taking.
Each of us has an amazing story. One of trials suffered and moved through. One of triumph and insight.
Maybe the story is just for you.
And, maybe someday the story could move someone else?
If you’d like, you can read part of my story here.