Leah asked: “This year I’m focusing on visibility and, in general, telling my story. I’m running into some blocks though… in that I just simply don’t feel like my story is worth telling. Without getting long-winded, I grew up in a very happy home, with parents who taught me that I could be and do anything I ever dreamed of. And that’s essentially what I’ve done and am doing… but there’s no adversity, no pivotal turning moment, no “rock bottom”…. nothing that I feel others can read and relate to and say “OMG she really gets me.
So how can I share my story in a way that’s compelling and true?”
What a great question Leah. And if you too are wondering just what your story is, how to find it, and how to relate it to attract your tribe, then this episode is for you!
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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
It’s easy to think that all other entrepreneurs have a great story.
Look at how Elon Musk started.
Look at how Steve Jobs started.
Or even look at some people who started as online entrepreneurs:
The story of how Lewis Howes started
The story of how Sophia Amuroso started
You’ll see a common thread in all these stories – the story of struggle, misspent youth, great heartbreaks, devastating illnesses, extreme poverty and more such themes.
So in the face of all this, if you’ve had a relatively happy childhood, it can be really hard to imagine how to get the attention of your audience without an equally compelling story.
YOUR STORY
But you DO have a story.
Each of us has a struggle within us, even if we haven’t put our finger on exactly what it is yet.
And part of your story is that you think you are boring and average and why should anyone give a damn about poor ol’ you?
In psychology it’s a called a “limiting belief” – that feeling that you’re not good enough, or worthy enough to deserve attention.
Well guess what Leah – thousands, if not millions, of people have the same struggle! They believe they’re not good enough and that they’re story is not compelling enough.
5 STEPS TO FINDING YOUR STORY
John Bates runs a camp for aspiring TED and TEDx speakers and he coaches people how to find and tell their story compellingly. And one of his concepts is to discover your “superhero origins”.
Yeah, and by superhero, I mean the caped comic characters saving the world.
Right that story.
Here are 5 steps you can take to find your own superhero story
1. Identify what makes you the most passionate. In a social circle, what topics drive you to engagement? What issues do you love to talk about? What topic will invariably get you all riled up?
2. Look at where you spend the most amount of your time. What kinds of things do you read? What books have you read in the last year? What kinds of shows do you watch? What tasks do you wish you could devote all your time to?
3. Look at where you spend your money. Money is a great indicator of where your interests and passions lie. Have you been inordinate amounts of money on travel lately? Or perhaps on collecting miniature figurines? Why? Explore those topics. Maybe there’s a business idea that will form the basis of your story.
4. Be transparent about your struggles. Look deep into moments of your life that were filled with self-doubt, uncertainty, too many choices or not enough choices. What did you do? How did you feel?
5. Discover your a-ha moment. This is actually how I discovered my story. Completely disillusioned after a marketing degree, and after several corporate sector marketing jobs. Until one day I discovered the power a single blog had to make my work better and influence my purchase decision. Then I discovered that blog was part of a content marketing strategy and that I was being marketed to in the most wonderful way possible – by being genuinely helpful, informative and engaging. That’s when I realised that marketing doesn’t have to be sleazy at all, but can be a way to get your message out in a way that improves someone else’s life.
And that formed the basis of my story.
YOUR TURN
Leah, I hope these points give you some starting points to discovering your story and owning it. Because the world needs to hear why you do what you do.
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