1 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office, 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the 3 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: new world of work, where location and hours are more 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to spend 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: a good story. People inevitably want to know why you 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: chose your life's work or why you enjoy the things 7 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: you do. If you can come up with stories from 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: your past that illustrate a long term passion, you'll increase 9 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: the chances that people remember you and want to help 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: you take your story to the next level. Now, I 11 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: should start this episode by saying that I am not 12 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: actually a big fan of explanatory stories. Life is not 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: lived in epiphanies. Almost no one has one moment that 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: changes everything. I always struggle with the question of how 15 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: did you become interested in time management. People want me 16 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 1: to tell some story of how my life was out 17 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: of control when I hit rock bottom and discovered scheduling. 18 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: But my life is just not that interesting. I just 19 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,479 Speaker 1: keep trying to do things a little better than before. 20 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: I see what works and go from there. But if 21 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:19,960 Speaker 1: life isn't lived in epiphanies, stories do involve epiphanies and 22 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,199 Speaker 1: people really love stories. This is how we process the world. 23 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: It's a quirk of human nature that we'd prefer to 24 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: read a story about a pioneering cancer researcher whose grandmother 25 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: died from the particular cancer he's studying, versus a pioneering 26 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: cancer researcher with no personal connection. And none of us 27 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: can really change human nature, So you may as well 28 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: learn to spend a good story. And fortunately, there are 29 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: usually ways to tell stories authentically that make your career 30 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: progression makes sense. Think about why you're doing what you're doing. 31 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: Carve out an hour or two to ponder how people 32 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: might perceive you. If someone were to write a profile 33 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: of you for a magazine, what would you hope it 34 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: would say? What would be the opening anecdote, the story 35 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: that sums up your motivation. Ask your friends and family 36 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: members for what they see as your story. Ask family 37 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: members in particular for memories that lend credence to this platform. 38 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,359 Speaker 1: You know what I'm talking about. If you're a consultant, 39 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: your mom might remind you that you used to check 40 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: the weather forecast and put out your lemonade stand on 41 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: the hottest days. You are always into optimizing revenue Now 42 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: you're just doing it in a different way. If you're 43 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: a litigator who prides yourself on taking on the big guys, 44 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: maybe a family member will recall that you used to 45 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: walk up to really big neighborhood dogs. That's a great 46 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: way to start your story. And of course, once you 47 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: have a story, you can do things now to enhance it. 48 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: Perhaps your volunteer work or your philanthropy can highlight a 49 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: particular angle to your story. Now, it's stressed that this 50 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: US need to be authentic. College admissions officers often sigh 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: about well packaged seventeen year olds who seemed to have 52 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: arranged for life changing experiences in order to write about them. 53 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: But just because there are two pat examples doesn't mean 54 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: that stories don't matter. They do. And when you understand this, 55 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: you can tell your story in a way that suggests 56 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: that your next breakthrough is the logical next step. In 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura, thanks for listening, and here's 58 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: the succeeding in the New Corner Office. The New Corner 59 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: Office is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts, 60 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 61 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: you get your favorite shows.