Your Life Is Telling a Story

Why Intentionality Matters

Everyone has stories.

From the time I was about ten years old until I was in my twenties, my mom was a professional clown. Full white face. Bright, baggy costume. Blue curly hair. Oversized shoes.

There were days when she picked me up from school looking like that. Even in high school!

To this day, at 88 years old, a staple item in her purse is not one, but two kazoos!

One time she was so upset with me that she chased me with one of her giant clown shoes. Think about how confusing that is. A clown with a painted-on smile and angry eyes coming after you with a shoe!

I have stories but more importantly, I am a story and so are you.

We Are Drawn to Great Stories

Think about one of your favorite books or movies.

Why do you like it so much? Chances are it isn't because of the scenery or special effects. It's because of the people.

In some way we connect with the characters. We may see something in them we aspire to be. Characters and their stories can show us what courage, kindness, sacrifice, perseverance, and love can look like. For a moment in time, their story personally mattered to us.

I believe deep down we all want our story to matter to others.

I don't think many people wake up hoping to live an ordinary, forgettable life. We want to make a difference. We want our lives to count by leaving something behind that matters.

Your Story Is Being Written Every Day

Whether you realize it or not, your story is already being written. Not just through the big moments but through today's choices. Small but profound choices such as the way you speak to your spouse or the integrity you bring to your work.

Your story isn't written one chapter at a time, but rather one sentence at a time via your choices. That's why intentionality matters.

Drifting is automatic. Living intentionally is a choice.

Years ago, I came across a simple principle that has stayed with me:

If you don't design your life, someone or something else will.

Our culture and other people are constantly trying to shape what we believe, what we value, how we spend our time, or even how we define success.

If we're not intentional, it's easy to drift wherever the current happens to be flowing.

Living on Purpose

I would summarize author John Maxwell’s thoughts on intentionality as the foundation that makes it possible for us to make a difference, doing something that makes a difference, with people who make a difference, at a time that makes a difference.

That statement reminds me that life is bigger than achieving goals or checking boxes. It's about significance by investing in people; about living in a way that leaves the world a little better than I found it.

Sometimes the most intentional thing we can do is slow down long enough to ask ourselves:

"Is the way I'm living today leading me toward the story I want my life to tell?”

A Better Story

One of the reasons I'm passionate about coaching is because I believe your story can become even better.

Not because you're trying to become someone else, but rather because you're becoming more of the person you were created to be.

Personal growth is about wanting a better story for yourself. Leadership is about wanting a better story for others. As we grow personally, we naturally become better equipped to influence the people around us.

That's how lives change.

Never underestimate the power of one: one person, one conversation, one decision, one day at a time.

Your life is already telling a story. The question isn't whether you're writing one. The question is whether you're writing it intentionally.

Great stories rarely happen by accident. They are written one intentional decision at a time.