A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I were in Toronto checking out this really cool spoken word event at the ROM. We sat there listening to these passionate people share their stories and their talents with us. Afterward, we started talking about what it means to have a story and to share it with others.

It reminded me of when I was first offered the opportunity to be a youth speaker. One of the first things I thought to myself was “I’m pretty average…what could I possibly share with young people to help them?” It was a question that I struggled with for a while. I would sit at my desk and try to map out my life and find any stories that could possibly be inspiring, meaningful, or motivational. For a long time I didn’t have much to go with.

Then I found it.

The story that put me on this path; it’s a story I share often now when I speak. It’s a story that I use in hopes that it helps us, as young people, understand that we aren’t alone in the struggles and hard times we face.

As time went on, I started finding more stories. I found more ways to reach out to young people and to help them reach out to the people in their lives.

You see, I strongly believe we all have a story to tell. We all have struggles that we’ve had to overcome in order to get to where we are or that we’ll have to overcome to get where we want to be.

Some of us are dealing with those challenges right now.

The beautiful thing I’ve learned about story-telling is that it’s one of the most powerful ways for us to connect with each other. It’s emotional. If we can feel the story, you feel connected. If we feel connected, we become inspired to find our own stories to share. 

As a speaker and facilitator, I’m always sharing stories – both personal and of the people I’ve met and learned from on this incredible leadership journey. 

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned over the years is that it’s not just about what your story is, but how you choose to use that story to help others?

Maybe it’s a story about a time you went through something that a friend is going through right now and sharing how you felt during and how you got through it.

Maybe it’s an experience you had that shifted the way you see the world: a trip overseas to volunteer or the first time you lost a friend.

Maybe it’s a lesson you learned from a friend.

Maybe it’s the moment you realized that “Reality TV” isn’t actually reality…

Whatever it is, we’ve all got stories inside of us to share…what’s yours?

By Matt Tod
Leadership Rewired!
INSTITUTE for HEALTH and HUMAN POTENTIAL