Storytelling — The Foundational Art: How Stories Define Who I Am and Who We Are
- David Purdy
- Sep 4
- 3 min read
How do we tell our stories? During my careers, I've seen the answer to that question change ... a lot! These days we tend to strive for authenticity and to make it personal! How personal? That's where the art of storytelling comes in! As is my want, let's explore the essence of the question. Then, we'll get more pragmatic.
Childhood Stories We Carry Inside
He runs from his mother — excited to be free. As he gets further away, he looks back to find where she was but doesn’t see her. His face goes flush and he runs to where she was. Then, he suddenly sees her, running to her with tears in his eyes. She smiles as she finishes her call and picks him up to wipe the tears away. But before she’s done, he’s already looking for the next adventure.
This is an early 'Hero's Journey' and we've all lived it to a greater or lesser extent. Indeed, we probably had a bunch of these every day when we were kids. If you've forgotten, watch kids play. Who doesn’t yearn for — and need — the adventure of exploring what’s on the other side of the mountain or river; ocean or galaxy? We love leaving it all behind but just for a little while. After the adventure, we all love coming home to the comfort of our parent’s embrace.
Put another way — we love our comfortable habits. Or at least we do until they bore us. Then we yearn for something outside of our comfort zone. We rush to the edge of the new — revel in it, learn from it — until we need the safety of home again. There's a departure, exploration, transformation, and a return home. This is how we experience our selves as a living story.
Indeed, we live our lives as characters in stories through what we think and feel and do. We live our stories — large and small, obvious and almost invisible. It’s through those interwoven thoughts and feelings and actions that we come to understand ourselves. I’m the hero or the villain, or more likely, some combination of both. And while our hero’s journey may not be as sweeping as the stories of old, to a surprising extent, they determine who we are and who we might become.
In the stories we were told as children, Jacob wrestles with god and dislocates his hip, Frodo loses his fingers, and Luke, his arm. They survive but have a wound that doesn't heal. In Jacob's case he is changed so much that he takes on a new name, a name that his people will use for their new nation, Israel. The Temple in that nation becomes the center of the world, the holiest of holy places, until it is destroyed and the people become the nation, embodying its essence wherever they go. Frodo vanquishes Sauron but can no longer return to the comfort of his old life. Luke seeks the comfort of the home he lost but must sacrifice himself to achieve his destiny.
Most of us aren’t such heroes — thank goodness — but we all live a life of challenges, victories, and defeats. When we better understand how we respond to that heroic tug, we will be better able to succeed in a way that will leave a legacy of which we can all be proud.
Read Storytelling That Drives Change for a more pragmatic take.
