Whats your ORIGIN Story?

All of us have one: a unique story of our lives which culminates our hopes, desires, fears and ambitions. A lot of us shy away from our origins as they often conflict with our present lives. For example, I used to have a habit of stealing things from people for the sake of it; yes I was a kleptomaniac!  This is not the case today. There is something we can all learn from our past, if we have the courage to face it…

I am not one to live in the past. But I certainly appreciate what I have leant from it. The past may have shaped me, but it certainly does not define me. I recently had an interview where I was asked about how I got into speaking and creative facilitation/consulting. I realised that when I was reciting my journey, I was telling it as I would a story. I did not just say what I did and how I did it but emphasised WHY I did what I did. And as I was reciting my journey, I briefly relived some of the key moments in my life that got me to where I am today. It inspired me, and reminded me of the importance of appreciating all of what life has offered me. For instance, when I began speaking at conferences while I was in college, some audience members would be so clearly impacted by the message they could not contain their emotions. This was somewhat a validation! Alternatively, during my post-grad I pitched my speaking business to a mentor and he completely tore it to shreds! Again, another validation! These two incidences both propelled me to keeping what I was doing. My motivation came from two very different responses. 

Our stories conceal deep secrets within us and when we embrace this narrative and truly make it our own, we embrace our origins and who we are.  

Think of your favourite superhero: part of his or her interest is how that hero came to be. There was a pivotal point in their life which determined their path to superheorism. It is THAT key moment (and often there are more than one) I'm interested in, where why you do what you do becomes evident. Now for some these moments are dark and not a place people would want to return to. Yet it is in owning that moment that makes your story so heroic. Look at Oprah Winfrey; raped when she was a young girl and able to overcome this horrendous act by owning it. It’s part of her origin story and she is unapologetic about it.  That moment adds to the why of Oprah and is the basis of many of her life-structures. 

So what is it about your story that should stand out? Well, your story must be about something bigger than yourself. So there is no space to play the victim here. The times where we act on self-pity and ask the daunting and over burdening question of “why me?” should be left out. In place of it,define the challenge/obstacle/ fight or vice you had to overcome and emphasise on HOW YOU OVERCAME IT! People can relate to facing a life issue, struggling with it and triumphing over it. So share that aspect of yourself, its powerful. 

Another question you should ask is whats the underlying theme in your story? What questions are you asking and what are the events that take you on that quest to find the answers? For me, my quest is to find authenticity, purpose and truth in people and that has taken me on an internal journey. This introspection has allowed me to more easily see the authenticity, purpose and truth in others and it has also allowed me to structure my career along these elements. Here are some questions that can send you off on your quest:

Can I learn to be comfortable in my own skin?

Can I grow beyond my selfishness/guilt/regret/anger and learn how to love? 

Can I let go of that ‘thing’ I am struggling with and have enough faith (first in myself) to embrace the unknown?

Remember, your story is relevant to others’. Don’t think it isn’t. When you share your experiences, trials and tribulations, you become vulnerable. It is in that vulnerability that you connect with your authentic Self and the authenticity of others’. There is true power in this process...

So what’s your origin story? The best ones are the ones born out of turmoil and strife where hard choices are made and something is let go for the sake of progress. It could be a friendship, romantic relationship or addiction you thought you could not do without but you knew you had to release. These stories are honest about the internal and external battles we all fight for our evolution and the evolution of humanity as a whole. They are universal. So own your path, embrace your destiny and tell your story: the world needs to hear it.