We are all living a story every day, where our story begins and ends may, or may not, be up to us.  As Rebecca Skloot mentioned, all stories have a “what moment” in which a story may begin.  A single moment in our life could be our story; it is just a matter of recognizing those moments in which a story begins.  

Thinking that my very own life could be a story boggled my mind during the Storytellers session at Chicago Ideas Week.  I can’t lie there are many things I do in my daily life that I hope is making a difference. But, have I tuned into my life to find that “what moment” and have I been making actions to have the outcome I hope my life story has, versus just thinking about them, and what is my focus?  Only I, the storyteller, can answer that.

 I may never actually put my “story” into words, or verbalize it, but why not live out my story everyday? A.J. Jacobs has written stories from real actions he has lived.  He mentioned the key is changing your behavior and the mind will follow.  Seems much different from all the motivational quotes I see referring to “attitude is everything,” maybe being actionable, and not just thinking about it, really is the key.   

It is up to each of us to write our own stories.  If you want to change lives, start movements, or simply entertain an audience, your story starts with action and ends with passion. How we tell our story is merely up to us, the answer may even be in the story itself.  Our audience may even persuade us how we tell it.  No matter how it is told, it should be told in a way to be remembered.   

So, I leave you with this “Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso

Kelly Knutson is a marketing strategist and founder of Launch LLC, based out of South Bend, IN. Launch  was founded as a result of Kelly’s passion for creative marketing.  She enjoys sharing her expertise and loves telling stories through speaking engagements.  Kelly graduated from Wright State University with a B.S. in Marketing and has worked in many facets of marketing including print and digital media, branding, business development, and social media strategy.  Contact her at Kelly@launch-llc.com or @KellyJKnutson.