“I don’t have any stories Patrice.”

This week someone in my Founder’s Fire storytelling program actually said to me, “I Do NOT have a Founder Story!??!”

I hear this ALL the time from entrepreneurs and business owners.
​
And I get it.
​
​When you’re stuck in the optimization cycle of funnels and LinkedIn posts & trying to get your website up and landing clients, it can feel like your life is just… work.
​
​Of course you have stories.

You’re human so that fact alone means stories are literally happening to you every day.
​
But an issue I do see a lot?

When we’re constantly in “productivity mode,” we miss the moments that could become our BEST stories.

And I almost fell prey to this mentality yesterday.

Let me explain.

I took my middle son to his first concert last night – night 1 of a 3-day music festival in Lisbon.

Full transparency? I forgot this week was the week when I knee-jerk bought these passes a year ago from A BILLBOARD. (I’m living in a time capsule and I was this many years old when I learned I am a BILLBOARD consumer 🫠) DIGITAL MARKETING Whaaaaat is that!!??

When I saw the email reminder on Tuesday, my first thought was “ugh… I need to rearrange my Founder’s Fire class, cancel a meeting & NOT work on our new Storypro website copy.”
​
All important blocks in my calendar yesterday.

This date sprung up and it felt ANNOYING to change my work. I didn’t feel excited to go at all.

Also WHO were these people playing!?!?

But then I randomly caught an Instagram story yesterday on my walk home from the gym of an entrepreneur I follow whose dad had a really bad heart attack out of the blue.

She was sobbing in her car imploring us to “call your parents even if you only have 1 minute to talk.”
​
​***I called my mom on that same walk. She didn’t pick up.. Which is a joke we have with her as she’s probably one of the only moms who has all of her kids calling her a lot but SHE doesn’t pick up!

And is it me or do you all know a lot of people who are SO young getting brain cancer? Colon cancer?

The dystopian despair that is our world right now.

Kids getting killed left and right while no adults in power step in to stop it.
Kids getting ripped from their parents and we’re supposed to get used to seeing this on our feeds like it isn’t the racist horror show that it really is.
​
I dropped my oldest son at camp this week making it impossible to contend with all the Texas news.

Is this even real life?? I know so many of you feel the same.

Tomorrow is not promised to us and we all forget that. I certainly do.

It took a few moments yesterday to get my brain back into “THIS is what matters in life… THIS is why you work… but life is meant to be LIVED…work can wait tonight…experiences are the whole point.”

We are not meant to “optimize” this much.

Imagine if we spent half as much time with the people we care about as we do OPTIMIZING our content or sales funnels.

I am guilty as charged.

Why do we have to be in the face of tragedy (either our own or someone else’s to remind us of what is important?)

At the end of the day, none of that matters.

It’s moments like last night with my son – random summer Thursday concerts – that actually make life worth living.

(And YES it is possible to fall more in love with your child when they “drag” you to the DJ clubbing stage. I think my parenting is done. Handbook drops next month.)

So what does this all have to do with “having stories?”

Lived experiences make for better, more interesting stories.

And that doesn’t mean every story is going to be based around a trip or a concert.

Maybe it’s:

• The conversation you had with your neighbor while walking your dog.
• What you noticed sitting in your backyard staring at the sky for 10 minutes.
• The weird interaction at the grocery store that made you think differently.
• The book that made you cry on a random Tuesday.
• The moment your kid said something that stopped you in your tracks.
• The phone call with your mom that shifted your perspective.
• The walk you took when you were frustrated and what you figured out.

The point isn’t that you need to be jet-setting or buying concert tickets from billboards. (seriously I DARE you to live in Lisbon and NOT buy stuff from billboards… this is my SECOND festival purchase from a highway. Who am I?)

The point is that when we’re constantly in “optimize everything and hustle harder” mode, we don’t even act on our own life??!

**like I LITERALLY thought of not going to the concert last night with my son. What a flipping tragedy that would’ve been. And for what!??!

So here’s my challenge: This weekend, do ONE thing that isn’t optimized or as I like to say, “feels naughty.”

Something that might be “inefficient” but feeds your soul and yes watching a trash reality show with your spouse counts!!

Then pay attention to what happens. I bet you’ll have a story worth sharing.

Speaking of stories worth sharing, I wrote about my experience buying a $400 hat that I had NO intention of buying…. But the founder’s story literally grabbed hold of my brain and I NEEDED that hat. There are some solid tips in that post about what makes a compelling story.
​
OK everyone.. I am off to Night no. 2 of this festival.

Wish me luck.

Have a great weekend! Go live something worth sharing.

XO
Patrice
​
P.S. This is exactly what StoryPro helps with – finding the stories in your actual life, not just the highlight reel moments. Our members are constantly surprised by what makes great content. Spoiler: it’s usually the stuff you think is “too ordinary.”