“One consequence of the downturn in the economy is that customers are more price-conscious. If I don’t meet them on price, my competitor will. Therefore, quality and service – which cost a premium – are less valued. The key to my long-term success is to adjust, and keep adjusting, price.” – Sales rep in virtually any field since 2009
By Randy Chittum, Ph.D.
The human mind is a meaning-making machine. It takes disconnected data points and puts them into a narrative that provides explanation and predictability. The only problem with this narrative is that it is largely fictitious. It serves the mind’s need for understanding. The fact that the understanding is almost certainly false is ignored, since this all happens unconsciously. We will refer to this as “story.”
Stories are not inherently good or bad. They serve a purpose, and we have them about everything. What about the fact that this column was late for submission? Well, I am pretty busy, and isn’t that a sign of success? Wouldn’t they prefer to have successful speakers and consultants write for Repertoire? Actually, this is what they should expect if they work with really cool people …
Of course those thoughts above were self-serving to a way in which I wanted to see myself. Other people’s stories may sound silly because you can see it more clearly, but I guarantee that if you start to pay attention you will notice thousands of stories about everything in your life that serve to keep you where you are.
We tell ourselves things to provide an explanation of the event. Our stories become our possible futures. Stories by their very nature create limits. What I can do is limited by what I think about it. If I am the sales rep referenced above, that story leads to a limited set of possibilities on my part.
If I were working with this rep I would be only concerned about this question. “Does the story empower him/her to achieve something other purpose or higher goal that is important?” Nothing else matters. Our stories keep us small.
It is challenging to write about something so fundamental without making it seem trite. Strive toward transparency in your stories. A good starting place might be to ask yourself something like: “In what part of my life is it clear that I cannot achieve what is most important as long as I carry the story I have?”
For more information about stories and additional resources, visit www.still-leading.com
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