What is your story? The story of YOUR life. We all have one.
Most likely your story is one that is filled with all kinds of chapters. Good times, bad times, times when you have been hurt or hurt another, times of failure, times of success, times of strength, even times of shame. All of those experiences make up YOUR story, the story that is totally unique to you. It is this storyline… the storyline of your life that has made you into the everyday leader that you are.
We have often heard our past shapes and mold us. Did you know that the way we are driven is often from the uniqueness of our own stories? It is this story that gives us an incredible understanding and compassion to see the lives of others in a whole new way. Our story serves a purpose and it is never in vain. This purpose empowers and enables each of us to make a difference in the lives of others. To hear and understand their stories in a way only we can after having walked that path ourselves.
Tragedies, celebrations, tears, smiles, regret, shame, broken dreams…all of these things make us who we are. These are the things that make our stories real and help us to connect and to inspire and influence those around us.
How often to you hear of someone doing something huge because of something in their past? How about the Adam Walsh story? Imagine the loss the parents experienced when they lost their son in the blink of an eye! They now spend their lives helping other families find kidnapped children and help to locate criminals. This tragedy was a chapter in their story that has driven them to be passionate in helping others that face similar circumstances. The stories of our past give us passion. They also make us the everyday leaders that can and do make a difference in the lives of those we encounter.
Do you have a chapter you would rather simply keep quiet about? Even those chapters that you would rather forget – are part of what make you, the unique you, that God has created.
Sharing your story means being intentional to help those around you. It means accepting your story and using it for the greater good. It may even mean embracing your story; knowing that God uses all things in our lives for a bigger purpose than we can ever know, even the chapters that don’t make sense to us.
The everyday leader, living intentionally, using our stories to make a difference.
I want to be that person. To embrace all of the chapters of my life. To use my story for His glory.
The Every Day Leader 
Sarah,
That is a wonderful comment and YES everyone we meet has a part of our story but more importantly our story is normally used to help others that we meet who have gone through similar circumstances. As an Executive Director myself I know how important it is to have good people around us who work for us. I am so happy you have your grant manager and thank you for sharing on the blog.
Nice article. I also believe that everyone we meet is part of our story as well. I was hired as an Executive Director of a non-profit organization only to find that one of the grant managers was my former staff member, who I mentored ten years ago. We never really drifted apart and stayed in touch but did not know her position changed and here we are having the capacity to work together again.