It’s Storytime

The end of the year brings the usual year-end lists of the top this and that.

Here’s a One-Word List
that caught my eye. It seems that “this year’s buzzword” (NY Times) with “irresistible power” (Harvard Business Review), and “the major business lesson of 2014” (Entrepreneur) is…storytelling.

Yes, the stories we tell to ourselves and each other. The words we choose to give voice to.

The Articles Describe Why
you need a good story to successfully deliver a presentation, run your business, raise capital and inspire employees. Absolutely! But I started thinking of the personal stories that help us live a life.

Our stories ground us in who we are and where we come from. They give meaning to our homes and our relationships. We all have lots of story lines, and woven together, they form the narrative arc of our lives.

This Year, Mine Included
my 96 year-old Mother navigating her dementia with grace and courage and my two sons leaving home, striking out with their own grace and courage. My stories took me to Scotland where I performed them in a one-woman show at the international Edinburgh Fringe theatre festival (now that took courage!).

As we come to the end of this year – and you know all good stories have a beginning, middle and end -cultural stories of the season bring us comfort and warm our hearts.

We May Feel Connected to a Tale
of oil that burned longer than expected or to the chronicle of a baby born in a humble manger or to the stories and laughter of old friends around the table or to familiar recipes that come with built-in stories and memories.

I hope your Holiday stories fill your life with richness and joy.
From my home to yours…my wishes for an inspiring and story-filled New Year ahead!