Never Forget Your Story
Today is September 11th, which marks the anniversary of one of the most horrific moments in United States history.
As you turn on the news today, they will most likely be playing footage from that tragic day 16 years ago in New York City. I can still remember what I was doing, what I was thinking, and what I was feeling when I sat there in math class as someone banged on the door and told us to turn on the TV.
To this day, you still see signs and flags with the words "NEVER FORGET" written on them. It's a saying I believe a great deal in.
As a writer (with possibly a great deal of ADD), I write everything down. And I mean everything - I make daily lists on what to do, what to buy, what to take care of. I jot down ideas. I write down something I hear, experience, and feel to be used for something I write about or speak about in the future.
The goal is to never forget something GOOD OR BAD that has happened to me. Otherwise, I am bound to let it repeat itself or bound to allow it to NOT come to fruition.
One of the major perks of what I do for a living is interviewing entrepreneurs to hear their story. I love it! I get them to recall their journey, the lessons they have learned, and pieces of their life they rarely (if ever) have verbalized. By doing interviewing them, the ghostwriters and I can cement those experiences into words, into a book, into a tool they can use for the rest of their lives.
The major take-away I have noticed is this: What happened to each entrepreneur in the past, GOOD OR BAD, has shaped who they are today. That might not seem like some awe-inspiring statement. And well, it's not suppose to be! It's suppose to be simple and easy to grasp. If we ALL become who we are based on what happened to us, then why should we forget it?
It is one of my deepest beliefs to USE your story, not forget it. Forgetting about it does no one any good, including yourself.
Never forget the people who wished you to succeed, but also never forget those people who wished you to fail.
Never forget the events that you won, but also never forget the events that you lost.
Never forget when you were told the truth, but also never forget when you were lied to.
Never forget those who helped you in your journey, but also never forget those who tried to stop you.
Never forget the good times, but also never forget the bad times.
Every decision you make is based on what has happened to you in the past. So, grab your pen and write it down. If you want to go far in this world, you are going to have to USE your story as a competitive advantage. Use it as fuel, use it as a means to make better decisions, and use it to help others who can relate.
But NEVER, and I mean NEVER, forget it.
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Mike Fallat helps entrepreneurs cement their experiences into words, into a book, into a tool they can use for the rest of their lives.
