A broken record

I really enjoy interviewing our community on the R4R Podcast.

Funnily enough, the more stories I hear… the more obvious it is that all our experiences, while different… rhyme.

How people feel, what they did to feel better, where they land after overcoming their hardship… it’s all so similar.

People will inevitably go through something difficult… they’ll do what they can to cope… and they can become a better version of themselves as a result… But the stories of how people descend into darkness is similar too.

And that’s why we prioritise sharing stories.

By giving people a blueprint of how to respond when they face hardship… what they can do to cope… and who they can become by persisting… we’re giving people a pathway to becoming more resilient.

My wife makes fun of me because I’ll often talk about how good Greek Yoghurt is… or how McDonald’s bathrooms aren’t as clean as they used to be… and as I write about the value of storytelling and blueprints for others… I’m starting to worry.

Am I becoming the old guy who tells the same story all the time?

Not yet…

We’ve landed on something special with Running for Resilience.

Events that bring people together, stories that help them find their way through struggle, and referral pathways to the help they need… The reason I’m so passionate about storytelling, is because it can be done at home.

And it’s probably where it’s most effective.

Letting your friends or family know what you’ve been through and how you got through it, gives them permission to share their story when they might need to.

Not in a “woe is me” kind of way either… Just simple, down the line… this is how it happened.

It might feel uncomfortable at first, but on the other side of that conversation is a stronger relationship, and a space for someone to speak should they need to.