All Ya Gotta Do is Read Choose Your Story, Change Your Life

What drives you? As a business owner, you might say a passion for making a difference or solving customer problems. But did you ever consider that it’s actually the invisible and unconscious stories that you’ve made up about yourself?

You already know this, because your “Storyteller in Chief” is chit chatting right now, as you’re reading this.  It’s the little voice inside your head.  You know the one — that tells you that you aren’t good enough just when you’re about to deliver that great pitch. Or, that voice that wakes you up in the middle of the night reminding you about the time you failed at X, Y or Z and that even if you closed that big deal, they’ll figure out that you’re a fraud. 

Choose Your Story Helps You Control the Stories That Bring Your Past Into the Future

When you’re building and running a business, you’re in the process of creating something new. But, what if you’re not?  

Reading “Choose Your Story, Change Your Life: Silence Your Inner Critic and Rewrite Your Life from the Inside Out “  by Kindra Hall is like being woken up from one of those dreams where you’re running as hard as you can, but getting nowhere fast.  And, the thing that’s been holding you in place is — your story.

You see, the stories that you tell yourself about what you’re capable of, what you’re good at, and what’s possible come from your past.  And if you’re listening to those stories — you really aren’t creating anything new.  You’re bringing your past into your future.  And this is what’s probably holding you back from the success you’ve envisioned for yourself and your business. 

You might not believe that this is true.  But Hall does a masterful job of showing you example after example of the persuasive power that our hidden, and, often unconscious stories that rule our lives. 

Kindra Hall Flips the Script on Storytelling

You already know that we are wired for stories. And you’ve probably read more than your share of books that talk about the influence that telling stories has on your customers . But you’ve probably NOT given much thought to the stories you tell yourself. 

And, this is where Kindra Hall shines. 

Hall is the President and Chief Storytelling Officer and Stellar Collective, a consulting firm that specializes in the strategic application of storytelling in today’s environment.  “Choose Your Story” is the follow-up to her 2019 Wall Street Journal best-selling book, “Stories that Stick”.

How to Create a Story that Works

The primary goal of  “Choose Your Story Change Your Life” is to show you that stories are driving your life, help you uncover what those stories are and which ones are stopping you and finally to create new, more empowering stories that serve you and help you create the future you’re going for. 

Hall does this in three parts:

• Part One: You Become Your Story: 
• Part Two: The Self-Storytelling Process
• Part Three: Hacking Your Essential Stories

Because this notion of self-storytelling is new to so many people, Hall takes her time in walking you through the process.

In the first part of the book, she’s introducing you to the concept of self-storytelling.  In the second part of the book, she’s showing you the process of rewriting your stories in a way that will serve you and your goals. And in the final section of the book, she’s sharing stories of transformation.

Welcome to the Storytellers Club

There are so many things to like about “Choose Your Story”. Personally, I appreciated how self-revealing Hall was throughout the book.  I also enjoyed the many examples she shared of people who I could relate to and how they worked their way through the process.

There’s Heather; a wife and mother of four from Pennsylvania who was setting so many goals that she’d created a story that she wasn’t good enough.  The solution was to uncover several of her very own success stories that had gotten lost in the bustle of her life.  

Then there’s Sam.  I could SO relate to this story.  Sam was a financial planner who was confronted with a Monday morning email that ranked all the financial planners in the office.  He dreaded the email because he would be forced into seeing how “average” (that’s the story) he was when he compared himself to other planners in the company. In going through the “Choose Your Story” process, he remembered a story about his grandfather planting trees and how important that was. So, Sam chose the story that he was doing important work that would bear fruit in time. 

There are so many more stories where this came from — dozens, maybe hundreds, but lots of examples that you will relate to in some way, shape or form. 

How “Change Your Story” Will Change Your Life

My favorite thing about this book is that by simply reading it, you will experience a transformation.  It may not be life changing like some of the examples, but you will at least recognize when one of your limiting stories is running the show.

If you reflect on what you’re reading, you’ll immediately see the relationship between the story you tell yourself and the results you’re getting in your business.

With that under your belt, you’ll be positioned to challenge this story and replace it with another story that serves you.

Ultimately, you’ll be able to overcome your fears and self-doubt by “reinstalling” these new, more empowering stories that can change the trajectory of your business and your life. 

Image: amazon

This article, "All Ya Gotta Do is Read Choose Your Story, Change Your Life" was first published on Small Business Trends