Why You Should Work On Your Storytelling

The simply answer is: because it matters. In everything we do. From the dinner table, to a conversation with a stranger on a train, even in how corporations interact with their consumers (there’s a job called corporate storyteller).

We all tell stories, anecdotes or episodes from our lives, so in a way we’re all storytellers. So even if you don’t write or tell stories for a living, you probably do it when you’re with friends or family. Our lives are made up of stories and we shouldn’t be afraid to tell them, because our stories are what makes us alive.

Sometimes when I’m at a dinner or an event and there’s a lull in the conversation (or the conversation simply wasn’t there in the first place), I think about this. Why are we talking about these mundane everyday things like how much the price has gone up on gas, or how the weather is or where you can get a really nice steak? Why don’t we share more of ourselves? Why don’t we open up and tell people about our fears and insecurities, about both good and bad things that have happened to us, why don’t we spread our learnings and become more personal?

We could be so much more entertaining and create deeper and more giving relationships by telling stories. Because everyone loves a good story. And everyone has at least one, probably many.

We watch films and books and dive deep into the lives of others through reality-TV, sitcoms and series – but we too seldom delve into the lives of each other, the people we know and hang out with daily, and into ourselves.

There’s so much there if we just open up.

And by stories I don’t only mean talking about your eye-opening year with the Buddhist monks in Nepal, I mean that and everyday stuff. Your feelings. Who you are.

What did you think about when you were waiting for the bus today? What scent brought you back to your childhood when you were shopping for groceries?  How do you feel about stuff? About your life?

From quick laughs to life-changing and inspiring events – we need to tell our stories and share our feelings and faults. That’s what makes us human and that’s what makes us interesting.

I hereby relieve you of  trying to be someone else than who you really are. Tell your stories. Dare to be a little more of yourself.