Tell me your story and I’ll find the lesson: Why advice is better in a story

Originally published on Substack

Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean I can too.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot during my personal discovery journey. I like to share my experiences, but not in a “You can do it too!” way. I want to share the story of what I do, because I learn more from stories than a 10-step done-for-you process.

No two people are exactly alike. Even genetically identical twins don’t think exactly the same. We have different sets of strengths and weaknesses. So using a successful entrepreneur’s 10-step process might not work for me. It might even fail horribly.

Because the 10-step process - while detailed - isn’t enough information.

I need the whole story of the success.

Did you succeed because you aligned a generic process to yourself? I CAN do that. My aligned process might look different from yours because it’s aligned to me, not you.

Did you succeed because you didn’t give up and kept going even when it got hard? I CAN do that. My version of “don’t give up” might look different but we get to the same place in the end.

Did you succeed because you got help? I CAN do that. Maybe your version of getting help is to hire a coach. My version is to read helpful books.

And this is why I want the whole story.

When asked the secret to your success, you’ll attribute it to a coach. And if we stopped at this quick advice, I miss the real lesson. But when I hear your full story, the importance of getting help is obvious.

That’s the cool thing about stories.

We can take away the different lessons we need.

And that’s why the advice I want -and need - is not a 10-step done-for-you process. I want the story behind its creation.

Tell me more.