Share Your StoryWritten by Steve Davis
0123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123PUBLISHING GUIDELINES You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Share Your Story Storytelling is one of most powerful methods to inform your audience while increasing participation and trust. As pace quickens in our high-speed society, it's increasingly important to turn at times, to good old fashioned story-telling--an ancient art that feeds hungry soul. Coupled with pace is fact that facilitators, being in front of room as they are, tend to be viewed as authority figures by many participants, even if only subconsciously. While we tend to ascribe lofty characteristics upon authority figures, it can be valuable to your group to dissolve these potential misconceptions with mild doses of reality from time to time. Telling a personal story to your group, that is of course relevant to topic at hand, can be a fun, informative, and interesting way to move your group. While at same time, introducing your humanity more fully into room, and increasing participants' trust in you. What are elements of a good story? Off top of my head, I'd say that most stories that support group process would have some of following characteristics: - Stories relating personal experiences are best for engendering trust. - Stories should be succinct and interesting. - Stories should contain some deeper message or meaning. - Stories should be told well with appropriate emotional engagement by storyteller. - The story should somehow relate to what you're trying to do as a group and should ideally move group forward. - The story should not be used to avoid or dance around what's up for group. - The story should not involve anyone who would take offense to it being told publicly. Now, let me tell you a story... Long, long ago, when I was home for summer after my freshman year of college, I secured a job with a pear-packing plant in an adjacent town. This was a manual labor job but involved a lot of variety. On any given day, I might be finishing metal parts in machine shop, repairing fruit bins, doing light carpentry, general cleaning, etc. Then one fine day, out of blue, boss strolled up to me with a push broom, a sweeping broom, and a dustpan in hand. This was big boss of whole plant I might add. Big John Bar was his name. He was a huge hulk of a man, with a brusque temperament that didn't exert much energy on pleasantries and could be just plain intimidating most of time. He handed me brooms and said, "I want you to sweep out factory." I looked around at this huge factory that was around 50,000 square feet, and covered with machinery...conveyers, movers, shakers, and contraptions of every conceivable type, all bolted solid to dirt and dust covered floor. I replied, "Which part of factory?" Hoping against hope that this question would have some relevance. He replied with response I had most feared, "All of it." I took tools reluctantly and slowly began to survey what seemed like an impossible job of endless drudgery for a mere 19 year-old home for summer. I seriously considered quitting at this point, but something inside prompted me to at least give this a try. So I began pushing broom. Stroke after endless stroke...stooping under machinery...clearing dust...sweeping it into my dustpan... dumping dirt into garbage can....hour after hour....day after day....sweeping and sweeping...nothing but sweeping. Just broom and I in an endless dance.
| | Who Needs a Rear-view Mirror? Successful Living by Mastering Our PastWritten by Michael G. Rayel, MD
When driving, we need to check our rear-view mirror every few minutes to perceive dangers lurking behind — tailgaters, hecklers, over speeding cars, and drivers under influence. Aside from anticipating threats, it helps us contemplate our next move, giving us enough time to be cautious before overtaking or stopping or . . . slowing down.So for safety reasons, rear-view mirror is essential when driving. In life, do we need to review past to safely navigate present and future and their unpredictable twists and turns? Driving highway of life is constantly accompanied by unforeseeable events. A reliable guide to present and future is our previous experiences. A good handling of past can enlighten us well today. I know a woman who can’t seem to learn from her past. At a young age, she has had recurring unfortunate relationships — living in with men who have bad habits and vices. Abusive and exploitative, these men left her when she became inconvenient. Each time, she was left with children to take care of, with more physical injury, financial burden, and emotional hurts to endure. One man even sold her soul by forcing her to prostitution. So far, she hasn’t reviewed her past and her life. In a few weeks or months, she will meet same type of men — abusers and users. Life’s patterns and perspective, whether productive or not, deserve a second look to determine their usefulness. Past mistakes likewise deserve a review so we can learn from them. An analysis of past helps us see our strength in coping with challenges, losses, and defeats. In a significant way, a life review teaches valuable lessons better than a classroom. Some people however are somehow stuck in past in a harmful way. They constantly review past mistakes, losses, and problems without analyzing and realizing what they have learned and how they can avoid them in future. They become preoccupied at expense of their emotional health. Unable to live fully in present, they overwhelm themselves with guilt, blame, and “what ifs” rumination. They focus on hurts, tragedies, and disappointments.
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