424 The Art of Story Making and Being Present
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins talks about her recent vacation and the reminder to remember a past lesson from her son about learning from your past regrets and choosing to live in the moment instead of allowing expectations or worries for the future to take away from the joy of the present.
Highlights
Being present for the stories you want to share.
Learn to just go with the flow and to take ownership of your own happiness.
Don’t grieve for the future, instead live for the present. It will still hurt regardless, but to build the happy memories right now can help ease your regrets later.
Quotes
“When I’m fully present, I am making stories that I want to share later.”
“We must stop focusing on death as a medical concern. Death is a human matter, one that each of us will eventually face.”
“How many of us are so busy worrying about what our loved ones are forgetting, that we lose track of enjoying the time we still have together?”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
What are expectations you’re holding on to that need to be released? What is something you’re grieving before it’s gone? Maybe you’re experiencing a lot of last times with your high school senior; The last game, the last packed lunch, the last ride to school, and you’re grieving before they’ve actually left the house.
Maybe it’s a good time to think of the other side of the equation too. Like the first time your kid buys their own toothpaste or toilet paper, the first time your kid calls you from their first apartment or dorm room. The first time you hear your kid say, “Hey mom, you were right about-”
I’d love to hear your thoughts about finding the strength to enjoy the present moment. To avoid future regret by attaching too much expectations to a person or an event.
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Sarah
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Be sure to check out the Storytelling For Professionals Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!