At the age of 4 or 5, I’m snuggled up in bed waiting for the story from my lilac-covered “365 Bedtime Stories” book. I always hoped it was one of the short stories and not a poem, but either way, once the tale started I was enchanted until the end.  I’ve always been an avid reader, but telling stories myself had always been something I struggled with. This neatly fitted into the box I’d put myself in: “not creative”.  Creative writing, making up a story, was something I wasn’t comfortable with at all.  It always seemed so ridiculous, so false, which is why my stories always ended up with me waking up and finding out it was all a dream.

But what if those dreams could become real? I recently participated in The Story Party – an event where people tell stories – which was a bit of a surprise to me, as well! There is a theme for each event and three rules: the story must be true, the story must be personal to you and there must be a message for the audience.  My main reason for volunteering (yes, nobody made me do it) was to start getting comfortable with public speaking. It was one of my first actions for exploring my limits this year.  And I’ve learnt so much more than the fact that I can stand in front of an audience and speak clearly.

My life is my story. I don’t have to imagine things, or make things up. I can tell what’s happened and I can choose my own adventure to create what happens next. But who wants to hear my story? Quite a few people, as it turns out. Because people like stories. It’s a tradition and a culture across the world. It’s how we learn and it’s a medium that’s accessible to all. And it’s really powerful.

You can learn a lot about yourself from your story and from telling it (writing, speaking, drawing or musically). You will unburden yourself and free yourself to move on to the next page or, when you’re ready, the next chapter. And your plans become what happens next.

What will happen next in your story? You can take the next step to start doing – and when you wake up it will be real and not just a dream.

If you want help to figure out the framework of your next chapter, get in touch and we can chat about how to do it.