Putting your story assets to work.

If you were a business,

if you owned a business,

you would know your assets,

wouldn’t you?

You would know their worth.

You would know just how they worked to bring value to your business
to your output
to your value
to your ultimate success
as a business.

You would know, though you might not be aware of the detail,
of the laws surrounding,
and the implications of,
owning them
using them.
….

Now maybe you are not a business, though you may own one.

But the idea still applies

because your stories are your assets.

And before you dismiss the thought immediately, thinking

that you have no stories of value,

and what’s the value of a story anyway,

why is it an asset?

let me start by telling you that it’s not always big, exciting stories

of huge achievements in overcoming obstacles,

or shining success,

or of incredibly emotional moments

that have value,

In fact, told badly, those stories can be liabilities.  I’ve known my share of those as an audience or as a reader!!

It’s not the entertainment or wow factor of the story that makes it an asset most of the time,

it’s what you use it for and how you use it.

Whether you are in business and building your influence and income,

at work and building your career and leadership

or building your personal well-being and presence,

for every challenge that you face, 

for every time you need to change or look forward or influence, 

every time you have to identify and acknowledge your value

there is a story.

They are there, ready to be found 

and told 

and their message, their meaning implemented, 

to give your business, your career, your personal wellbeing the growth that it needs.

To find those story assets and ensure you are fully utilizing their value, there is a simple 5-step process that I use with clients and in my own life, and these are steps you can use, no matter whether you are applying it to yourself, your business,  or your career.

Step One Identify the challenge
What is the problem? 
What is the element you need in order to solve it?

Step Two  Find stories of experiences around that element
Ask. 
Ask yourself 
Ask your clients. 
Ask your team. 
Ask your friends.

Step Three  Harvest the meaning
Decide what the relevant message is for you/your business/your career

and for this challenge.

Step Four  Honour the storytellers 
If it’s you, your faith in yourself increases. 

If it’s your team/your friends/your workmates, you have them onside as you face the challenge. 

Step Five  Translate meaning into action 
Make the presentation, implement the changes …

and remember

to honour your stories.  Make it a process you use, and often, to find them, curate them, tell them and implement their wisdom, whenever you face a challenge

whenever you need to change

whenever you have a vision to implement..