How has your story shaped you?

We all have a story.

And it goes well beyond just the big moments we might share when someone asks us about our lives, but all of it. The people who have influenced us. The relationships that have changed us. The risks we took and the ones we didn't pursue. The things that worked out exactly as we'd hoped and the things that went a different way than expected. The loss, joy, disappointment, success, change, and ordinary moments that have accumulated along the way.

All of those experiences become part of our story. And whether we're aware of it or not, they continue to shape us.

They influence what we believe about ourselves, how we show up in relationships, the choices we make, and sometimes even what we believe is possible for our lives. An experience that happened years ago can still affect the way we respond to something happening today.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. How often do we actually stop and consider where some of those beliefs came from? We know what we think about ourselves, but we don't always ask why we think it.

Maybe you learned early on that being successful meant working hard and pushing through. Maybe an experience made you more cautious about trusting people. Maybe someone saw something in you before you saw it in yourself, and their belief changed the way you thought about what you could do. Or maybe you've carried an idea about yourself for years that, when you really stop to think about it, doesn't fit anymore.

I believe there's value in understanding those connections. Not because we need to go back and analyze every experience we've ever had, but because our past is already part of how we see ourselves today.

There are parts of our stories that we probably wouldn't choose. There are other parts we wouldn't trade for anything. And there are experiences we may look at very differently today than we did when we were actually living through them.

That's part of what I find so interesting about our stories. They don't change, but our understanding and the importance we continue to give them can.

Something that once felt like failure may look different with ten years of perspective. A decision you questioned at the time may have led you somewhere you never expected. A difficult season may have changed what matters to you. And sometimes, looking back helps us recognize strengths in ourselves that were much harder to see while we were in the middle of it.

So, my question for you is: How has your story shaped the way you see yourself today?

That's a question that is at the heart of “Soul Stories”, an evening Margie and I are hosting on September 8. Through meditation, breathwork, reflection, storytelling, and connection, we're creating space to slow down and spend some time with the experiences that have shaped us.

You don't need to have a dramatic story. You don't need to know what you want to say before you arrive. And you certainly don't need to have it all figured out.

We all have a story. Sometimes it’s worth slowing down long enough to understand how it has shaped us — and find clarity around what we want to carry forward, set down, or see differently.