The single greatest part of my job is being able to sit down and get to know people and their story.

I realised a little while ago that every single person has their ‘story’, their tale, their history or their future or their dreams or their regrets or their lessons.

Some are short anecdotes, some are lengthy backstories.

Some are ecstatically happy, others tragically sad.

Some seem mundane, some thrilling.

Some we can learn from, some are just great for a laugh.

But most people don’t think their stories are particularly interesting. In fact, they often think they’re quite boring.

They’ve lived them, talked about them, told them countless times.

Their stories are old hat to them.

Let me tell you, though, that they’re not. I love hearing them.

Because they’re all individual, and they’re a snapshot of the lives that have been led right up until our meeting.

They help us get an idea of where you’re coming from, where you’re heading and – sometimes – how we might be able to help.

Even better is that peoples stories, their ‘go-to anecdote’, can change.

Say you’ve been going through a separation and a divorce. For that period in your life, that’s your story.

How it came about, why it’s happened, how it’s been, the process, the steps involved, the history.

But then that can morph and in the near-future your story might be about recovering from the divorce, the clean-up, the discoveries you’ve made, talking about your future.

Then, even further into the future, it could become a chapter in your story, an anecdote about one of the few humorous moments in the entire, torturous process.

Which is to say – what’s your story now doesn’t have to be your story in the future.

So, what’s your go-to story?

Are you happy with it?

If you are – fantastic!

And if you’re not, that’s okay too – but I’d encourage you to find one that you can be proud of.

After all, life’s too short for boring stories.