In Episode 139 of the Power Your Platform Podcast, I’m sharing the Three Stories to Avoid Telling. If you know me, you know I spend nearly every podcast episode talking about why we should tell our stories and the power that results when we do.
But lately, I’ve also been realizing that there are at least 3 stories we need to STOP telling. So in today’s episode, I want to get to the bottom of those three stories and talk about why they are NOT stories worth sharing.
1 – The “Woe Is Me” Story
We’ve all found ourselves frustrated and feeling sorry for ourselves, haven’t we? It’s a part of being human to want to lick our wounds when we’ve been hurt. The problem is when we put these stories forward regularly as a central part of our personal or professional brand story, they can do more damage than good. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, people just don’t care about our Woe is Me stories. Because, frankly, they have their own Woe is Me stories. And what they’re really looking for is someone to help them find their way to the other side of THEIR struggle. So don’t get stuck in the rut of sharing your Woe is Me story. Instead, consider how you can make someone else’s life better, while drawing on the wisdom of your own experience.
2 – The “I Can Do No Wrong” Story
In this case, the storyteller is claiming that NOTHING is going wrong and that EVERYTHING is coming up roses. But this façade of perfection can be off-putting to our audience members who are definitely experiencing their own share of struggles and frustrations. The truth is, we need to present a balanced story which is what I refer to as authentic storytelling. When we can admit to our audience that we’re NOT perfect, it can be a pretty humbling experience. But I also think its freeing. Because when we’re humble, we’re admitting to ourselves and everyone else that we’re still learning. And that gives the freedom to make mistakes. After all, failure is not the opposite of success – it’s a part of success.
3 – The Off-Brand Story
Off-brand stores are confusing to our audience and dilute the clarity of our mission. The key to avoiding Off-Brand Storytelling is to stick to our own story lane. Because we want our clients and customers to be 100% clear about what we do, who we do it for and why.
