Telling Stories is Important

I’m always on the lookout for a good story. I’ve listened to thousands of stories in support groups over the past twenty-five years and have learned from each and every story. In addition to spoken stories, I’ve assimilated stories from books into my storytelling repertoire. These stories become important catalysts to pass on valuable information and prompt people to seek out their own uplifting, solution based stories.

If you’ve read my past blog posts you know that my mother was diagnosed with diabetes about four years ago. She’s a health and healing champion. She’s inquisitive and a good advocate for herself with her medical team. The one thing that continually pops up is the idea of hope. I know it’s something I struggle with when dealing with my own health issues.

I shared a story from Jerome Groopman’s, “The Anatomy of Hope” and she was intrigued. The story peeked her interest to the point that she went to the library and checked out the book. She also took the inspirational story one step further; at her next doctor appointment she told the nurse practioner about Groopman’s book spreading the inspiration.

Hope can be contagious. It can be derived from personal experiences, spiritual experiences, and stories from others. It is available to all of us in times of need as long as we search for it. Hope can seem elusive, but it’s important to never stop the search. We don’t have to have all the answers; we just have to learn where to look for clues to where hope lives.

I find acquiring a stockpile of stories of hope gives me a well to draw from in times of need. These stories are like having my own personal reservoir of hope. There are times, just like in nature that the reservoir levels are low; that’s the motivation to acquire new inspiring stories.

We all need hope. Knowing where to find it is paramount to your experience of hope. I hope you’ll develop your own reservoir of hope. I’d love to hear some of your hope inspiring stories.   If you have a story or resource feel free to share it with us in the comment section below or you can reach me at greg@survivingstrong.com. For additional information check out http://www.survivingstrong.com.