What’s Your Story?

Breeda Miller at her computer discovering something fun on line

Crazy things happen when you put your hand up and say, YES.   I attended a conference in Canada and had the opportunity to record an inspirational story and have it submitted to an array of social media video platforms.  I didn’t think my story was “ready”.  I thought I could tweak it and make it better, I wasn’t thrilled with my outfit, but I decided to be brave and seize the moment.  I stood on the big stage and shared the story of my mother’s Ticket to Heaven.  I thought it went pretty well and the producer said she thought it might go viral.  I was happy to get some great video and I thought it would be fun to see what happened.  Maybe a few thousand people would see it – maybe even 10,000 – I like to dream big. 

Letting it go

The producer called me a few weeks later and told me that two platforms had chosen my video and that it would be posted within a week.  I was nervous and excited.  It was totally out of my hands, they made edits and added photos and music.  Then I just waited and held my breath.  The first platform was called InnerMedia and I had never heard of them.  I liked what they did and I was excited to receive a massive number of views (for me) in just a few days – 60,000 views.  Woo Hoo!  The following week, a larger platform, The Power of Positivity launched my video and within 48 hours nearly half a million people had viewed my story.  By then the other platform had increased the number of views as well and the total views four days was over 800k. 

And then there were comments…

It is simply mind-boggling.  I am well aware that when people post comments they can get nasty.  There were about a thousand comments posted and not a single one (yet) has been negative.  Viewers post that this story touched their hearts, or helped them understand caring for a person with dementia or gave them inspiration to try new ways to reach their loved one.  There is much that is bad about social media, but the opportunity to tell a story and reach nearly a million people with a message of hope and love really is powerful.    If I’m at 800k after four days, I think I might reach a million views someday.

Power of a compelling story

It’s all about the power of a compelling story. So many people tell me that they wish they had a good story, they wish they had done something worthy or amazing.  When it comes to personal stories, I believe there are two kinds.  There are stories about extraordinary experiences and stories about ordinary experiences told from an extraordinary perspective.  Everyone has a story to tell.  Sometimes it’s a big event or accomplishment.  Most of the time the best stories about a small, seemingly inconsequential event that is told by a perceptive person who recognizes something that is special or meaningful in that moment.

A moment in time

What’s your story?   Is there a moment, a specific incident that comes to mind when you think about your work?  Your parents, your child, your home?  Maybe an insight you gained from a trip –  a trip down the road or a trip across an ocean?  It is such a satisfying experience to own a story.  To take the time to select the moment, the point of view, the details and determine the reason why it is a story worth telling is simply a magical process.  Whether you share your story with an audience of one or thousands or decide to keep it close to your heart and it is shared with future generations, your story has value.

New kid on the block

Everything old is new again. The most ancient form of communication is storytelling – it’s how our history was shared before the written word.  Today storytelling has found new respect and people are flocking to storytelling live events and businesses are realizing the value of a good story to help market their product or service. 

My wish for youhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmZfKk_es7c&t=9s&authuser=0

An authentic story well told is truly a beautiful thing.  I hope you have so many good stories in your life that you cannot choose your favorite.

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