People resonate with you when you are being the authentic you. They want to connect with the real you… with all of your strengths/weaknesses/mistakes/victories. Furthermore, people know authentic when they see it. It is tempting and comfortable to try to minimize the challenges or pain because we somehow want to show only the strong part of ourselves. And there is a place for this (if I am going into battle- I want a strong, fearless leader… even if there is some fear inside… in that moment… I don’t want to see the fear). But most of the time, when we are willing to be vulnerable and share our true selves… connections happen, opportunities increase, in fact… just about everything good increases.
For many years I resisted telling my authentic story because it was very painful- I lost my younger brother when he was 15 and he took his own life. I found when I began to share the pain of this experience and the victory of overcoming terrible grief and moving forward into happiness and success… my life seemed to click into place.
You don’t have to have a “tragedy to triumph” story to create a compelling message. Your story simply needs to be uniquely you.
Write out your story in your journal and just let it flow. When reading it… ask yourself… where is the lesson that I can share? How can this story help people? You may end up tweaking your story several times before you feel ready to share it. You defeat your purpose if you feel worried when you tell your story. You can always add more to your story as you become more confident and comfortable with showing your vulnerable side. And your story will change slightly with each venue. You might tell more of your story during a keynote and less at a networking event. Trust your intuition regarding your story.
Instances where you might use your authentic “I” story are; keynote speeches, your blog, your website, an article, a book, a networking event- etc… Sharing your authentic “I” story has the potential to be extremely powerful and beneficial in building relationships and rapport.