Is Your Story Worth Telling?
One of the greatest doubts and fears I’ve been plagued by is the long-standing “not good enough” syndrome.
What’s most interesting about this is that I know some of you will read this and think, “Really, Nancy? You’re so awesome. You’re MORE than good enough” and others may think, “That’s right, Nancy, you’re not good enough.”
And here’s the good news … what I’ve come to learn and how I continuously move past the doubting and fearful monkeys in my head is this … What you think of me is none of my business!
This is not to say that I don’t care ABOUT YOU – I care very much and bring the best of me to every conversation, presentation, and social media post.
This IS to say that my commitment is to bring my personal best to every situation and task at hand and understand that I am responsible TO you but not FOR you.
So, what does this have to do with you telling your story?
To invite and encourage you to tell your story and KNOW that it is good enough!
Each of your experiences – no matter how big or small, brings with it the seed of learning that you can pass on to others. And, be sure to pay particular attention to things you do that others marvel at and comment on how gracefully you do them. Those are some of the big things and stories to share that you may be taking for granted. Just because they’re easy for you doesn’t mean they’re easy for others.
For me, this showed up when I was a single parent, raising two amazing children, took in my ailing grandmother while working full time, and people would say, “Wow, I don’t know how you do it, it must be so hard.” It didn’t feel hard to me, I was just doing my best and took for granted that my best WAS more than good enough! As I look back now, I see that the time management strategies I used and the consistent attention to having a positive attitude are valuable things to share with others so they can get through life with more grace and ease.
In developing my personal brand and messaging, it took me years to muster up the courage as well as appreciation for all I have accomplished in my life to be able to share my stories and experiences with others. The old “I’m not good enough” monkey kept me quiet for far too long and I don’t want that to happen to you.
I’ve learned that the more I share my authentic self – both my amazing successes and my fantastical failures (ahem…learning opportunities), the more easily the people I am meant to work with and serve come to me and ask, “How can we work together?”
Now it’s your turn … Your Story IS Worth Telling!
