This weekend, I set aside time to ready two short books on storytelling. One book was on the relation story to personal brand, the other on story as a driver in careers.  While one was a somewhat frustrating read, the second had the virtue of actually providing real stories from real people as examples. Still, I was not wholly satisfied.

Just as I was ready to call it a day, I read an excellent post by my friend and colleague Carol Ross, "What's Your Story?" In it, Carol shares a learning from her Lift Off retreat Pamela Slim and Charlie Gilkey. After explaining why "What you give to others, you cannot give to yourself," She outlines several principles of story that truly resonate: 

• Story not only transforms the listener. It transforms the story-teller. 
• Story becomes a neon green marker in our memories.
• Story is empowering.
• Your story evolves, as you evolve.

Now, go read Carol’s post. It’s a great story!