We hear a lot about “story” these days. Storytelling is a valued skill in marketing and advertising, my career field. I also have my doctorate in mythology, the study of story and culture, so I’ve read a lot about the importance and power of story.

But recently I ran into an article in Harvard Business Review from 2003, written by Bronwyn Fryer, who writes a lot about organizational behavior, leadership and more. In this article, she interviews Robert McKee, Ph.D., award-winning filmmaker and screenwriting lecturer on “Storytelling That Moves People” (https://hbr.org/2003/06/storytelling-that-moves-people). McKee explains how a well-crafted story can improve the impact of any business or sales pitch.

What I want to point out is that everything he says about story in business also applies to your own personal story. Create a more dynamic personal story – yes, you can rewrite your story, more on that below – and create a more positive outcome. Let’s look further.

McKee points out that an all-positive story doesn’t ring true. The reality of the human experience is that bad things happen. This is not a smooth journey. Being alive means you’re going to experience some dark times; there will be shadow and challenges.

“One of the principles of good storytelling is the understanding that we all live in dread. Fear is when you don’t know what’s going to happen. Dread is when you know what’s going to happen and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Death is the great dread; we all live in an ever shrinking shadow of time, and between now and then all kinds of bad things could happen.”

    Robert McKee

That is what is real! And the irony is that this is actually good news! Just as in business, a failure in your personal life doesn’t mean you’re broken. It does not have to define you. It doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story, it is just a part of the story arc.