This is my first blog post after officially becoming a certified life & weight coach! Here we go!
A tale of two stories
I listened to a mastermind webinar this morning that featured Lisa Nichols, who is a motivational speaker and million dollar business owner. What caught my attention right from the gun was her story- she was a broke single mother with $11 to her name and she vowed to make something of her life.
OK, let me say that again… Lisa Nichols had hit rock bottom. It was 1994. She was a single mother, her baby’s dad was in jail, and she was left to fend for herself and her baby boy. Lisa needed pampers, but when she went to the ATM to take out $20, she only had $11.42 to her name. So she wrapped her baby in a towel for a few days because she had no money for diapers. This woman was so broken– most people in her shoes would have just given up.
But that would not be the end of her story! At that turning point, she vowed this was not the life she was going to give her boy. This was not the life she was going to pursue. She was going to be somebody. She was going to get to work to turn this life around come hell or high water! And by God, she did!
Loving the Details
See what I did there? In the second iteration, I told her story with more detail, more emphasis, more texture so that the audience could actually visualize this person, this life, the circumstances and witness that story! It may speak to you, compel you, inspire you. Most importantly, it was certainly more entertaining!
And that is what I learned from the mastermind webinar- how to tell a story. Awesome. I have never been great at telling stories, however, hearing this class made me realize it’s very important when you are trying to connect with an audience or a tribe or with clients. Stories make your message more interesting and compelling. They help put things into context.
Open to the Idea
Here’s an interesting dilemma though… I have always been a private person. I don’t tell my story… like… ever. Am I ready to tell my story? Will it be interesting enough to tell? Can I tell it in a way that would inspire someone else? I think I have my work cut out for me. But I am going to do this COME HELL OR HIGH WATER!!!!!
How’s that for inspiration?
Final Thoughts
Alright, I’ll leave you with a tiny story…
It was October 10th, 2019. I was in my basement, surrounded by weights, yoga mats, and my meowing cat, Layla. And yes, she meows A LOT. Little chatterbox. Anyway…I was lifting- believe it was leg day- the burn in my thighs probably increasing with each minute, the sweat starting to bead up on my forehead. On my phone was the video of the mastermind- after all, I am a full time working mother trying to start a business on the side- when other time do I have to learn new skills???
So there I was- listening and learning, listening and learning, taking it in, breathing it in. Let me tell you, the woman speaking, Lisa Nichols, was bigger than life! She was so energetic, motivating, inspiring, and compelling! I immediately wanted to be like her! Hell, yeah! Why not?
Tell your story. Do it with energy. Stand for something. Have some damn conviction. And that is how you win audiences, build yourself as a brand. That is how you freaking do it! So, just do it. Ah, what a great workout- for both my body AND my mind.
