Travelling from yesterday’s post on the value of context and experience when giving advice and answering questions, I land at today’s topic.

Our stories. They make up the sum of who are and who we continue to evolve to become in the future. Circumstances of our births, failures, personal and professional triumphs, lucky coincidences, senseless accidents, meeting the right and wrong people in life, divine talent, hard-earned lessons… The list goes on. We are shaped by all of it – what life has thrown at us, what we have taken control of, our time and place in history along with a healthy dose of luck and lack of it. We are not shaped by a single person or event though some have more effect than others. That’s why we can’t find two people identical in every way. So, why do we try to fit into crowds at the cost of hiding our true selves when our unique experiences can make each one of us stand out?

I heard this first from Michelle Obama in her book, Becoming. It has stayed with me, growing in significance ever since. Own your story, it is who you are.