Words for Wellness 7 - Storytelling for Impact
The magic of releasing our thoughts and weaving our words into story are a powerful tool to inspire change.
Why are the words we speak, think and write so important for our well-being, and why are they such an important component of overall wellness?
We all have endless thoughts on a repeat loop in our heads which become the stories we tell ourselves of why we don’t yet have something, or why something seems unattainable or impossible - a loving partner, the well paying career, the dream home, your own business.
And all of these looping thoughts and stories can do more damage than good.
Image Credit: JessBaileyDesign on Pikabay
Statistics are everywhere and a research study by the National Science Foundation identified that up to 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.
I didn’t know these statistics until I went searching for them and even I’m alarmed by the percentages when you consider we have between 12,000 - 50,000 thoughts a day.
My point here is that getting it out of your head will often take away or lessen its power. And I know this for a fact from almost twenty years of ongoing journaling and writing.
In the depths of my twenties, besieged by anxiety and depression, my writing brought me back from the edge. Through the challenging years of motherhood when my common thoughts of ‘Am I a good mother’ or ‘Am I doing it right’ or ‘What could I do better’ writing through my fears and doubts was my saviour.
There’s two components here
🌻 getting the thoughts out of your head will lessen their power
i.e. journaling, blog posts
🌻 weaving them into stories can heal and inspire others
i.e. ebooks, blog posts, podcasts
Stories are how we change things. We can’t make progress without them. Stories help us to imagine a future that does not yet exist. Stories reinforce our beliefs about who we are and who it’s possible for us to become. Stories are how we connect. They change how we think, feel and act.
All stories then—those we tell and those we believe—are powerful catalysts for change.
You can’t change a mind without winning a heart. Every day, we are repeatedly challenged to tell that right story—one that enables an emotional connection with another person.
Who knows who may need to read your words today?
When we understand why we think, feel and behave the way we do, we improve our chances of creating the change we all want to see.
Messages of hope and support resonate deeply and connect with people’s feelings. Successful ideas appeal to people’s hearts and not just their heads. Sharing a story of how you came out the other side of a challenge may just help someone else experiencing similar to change one small thing that starts them on their path to wellness.
We don’t just persuade people to act. We move them to act.
Purposeful storytellers and effective changemakers have a strong conviction about the change they’re trying to create.
✏️ Journaling Practice
I share a storytelling practice (from Speakers Institute) in a workshop that I’ve run for the last four years for young leaders about public speaking for impact - seems at odds, but public speaking is simply about telling a story.
💎 Wordweaver
TO EVERY WOMAN everywhere, no matter the life you live, the choices you make or the circumstances dealt to you. You are amazing. You are an inspiration to someone, somewhere and your story matters.
It really matters.
Live it, then tell it. Tell it as often as you can. That’s how inspiration works. Look around you only to admire, encourage and support – there is no need to feel pressure to change or conform.
Your life. Your way.
~ Donna Ashworth
🍀 What I’m exploring this week…
Book: Midlife Visions by Lorna Teddef (lighthearted paranormal fiction is about all my brain can cope with at the moment)
On Substack: The Unravelled Heart
🔥 Your Call to Action
Think of your most challenging experience - could sharing your story help someone else experiencing similar?
Would sharing your story help with your own healing and open up a new path forward that you hadn’t previously considered.
I’m sure you already have a story about one of the following
📙 Workplace conflicts
📕 Health challenges
📗 Relationships
📘 Career paths
📒 Travel
📙 Family
📕 Starting a business
📗 Loss
📘 Choices
Happy storytelling - May your words be a beacon of light which changes thinking, inspires action, transforms lives.
Keep Smiling, Fi 🌻