
Tell Me Your Story©
Each one of us has a special story. It has been said that our stories are diminished by the symbolic “hyphen” of the grave-marker—the hyphen that denotes the space between a person’s birth date and the date of leaving this world. In our heart-of-hearts we know that our lives stand for something special--something immeasurable and non-conveyable by the lowly hyphen. Each of us possesses a vastly important, non-hyphenated story.
In that vein, it is interesting to note (per UtneReader.com: The Focused Life)…. “that human beings are (supposedly) the only species that actually knows that we must die (at some point). We are also the only ones to know we must find something engaging to focus on in order to pass the time we do have on this earth. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, to fill the hour---that is happiness.”
We each choose our personal storyline via where, when, and on what we put our attention and focus during the increasing moments of our lifetime. So in essence, we’ve got our lives to contemplate what we’re going to do with our hyphen.
The point: We each have a story and within each of our stories there are moments that turn into hours, weeks, months, years and decades—moments wherein we make pivotal choices, and have unique experiences. We learn. We see potential; we dream; we become enthused as we focus and take action. We meet certain people. We participate in certain events. We gain new knowledge. We are influenced; and we influence others. We make choices that became the chapter headings for our individual stories. And we can do this consciously---fully aware! We each leave our special mark on the world in some important way--and it is not by way of the hyphen! If I asked you right now to share your one-minute elevator speech—that crisp capsule of who you are, and for what you stand, and to underscore what matters most to you—what would you share? What is your story? On what are you focusing as your next chapter unfolds?
As we grow and develop, as we fill the hours we’re allotted, we move forward through many transitions, many life chapters—likened to the metamorphosis of the butterfly. Sometimes we get stuck in our own cocoons for awhile; sometimes not. Ultimately, we move forward from chapter to chapter to chapter—living out our story. Those numerous chapters—free-standing and combined—tell your beautiful story.
I’d love to hear your story! Lights On!
Claire Knowles 04/10/10
716-622-7753







