Every Life Has A Story

Every life has a story. Watch this video:

We know our own stories so well, but we often forget that everyone we meet has his or her own story. 

When it comes to pursuing our dreams, one key to achieving them is to spend more time learning about others' stories instead of sharing our own. Don't misunderstand me, our stories are powerful and should be shared -- people can be encouraged by hearing about what we've overcome! But you "earn the right to be heard" when you start by listening. 

Today I got my hair cut (Mom is doing back flips!). I did my best to focus on the hairdresser's story -- I asked her if she had a great weekend, how long she has been cutting hair, what she likes most about it, etc. and she told me stories about her life. It doesn't sound like she loves cutting hair as much as she used to, but I tried to encourage her by telling her that a great haircut can really make someone's day -- that she has a great way to impact someone's life!

Every life has a story. 

Doesn't this make you feel like every encounter is a huge responsibility? What we don't know about the person we are talking to is really the difference. Smiling faces might be covering deep wounds or might be understating awesome achievements! We don't know. Venture to find out. 

I used to hesitate to ask too many questions because I didn't want the other person to think I was prying. But I've learned that people will let you know (one way or another) if you are asking too much. There are too many people in the world today who feel like no one cares about their story. There are too many people who feel like they are walking through their challenges very much alone. 

If you focus on learning people's stories and encouraging them with your energy, belief, and interest in them, then you will start to change lives. And when you start changing lives, consistently, then you will attract a large number of people because people are looking for others to listen to them -- people are looking for reasons to believe, for energy, for someone who is positive and doesn't allow the challenges of life to pull them down. You can be that person! And, as we know, when you serve others, then your dreams come true!

When people drink a 5-hour Energy drink, my guess is that half the time those people aren't even physically tired -- they more mentally tired (so they feel it physically). 100 years ago people worked harder and exerted themselves more physically than we do now, but today we exert ourselves more mentally -- not because we are thinking about amazing inventions, but because we have 4 different digital screens we check every hour and because we have so many activities going on and "keeping up with the Jone's" just wears us out. 

People are looking for something rare -- blessing them begins with learning their story. Take a minute in the grocery line today and ask someone about their day. Take a minute to listen, learn their story, and change a life.