In the 1920’s, some friends of Ernest Hemingway bet him that he couldn’t write a story in 6 words. Hemingway responded with: “For Sale: baby shoes. Never worn.”

Now, does that tell you the whole story? No. Does it get you curious? Yes. Absolutely. And there will be some people who will go down a negative route when considering what that story may mean; others will choose a more positive route.

What is your story? What does it tell? Is it the story you want, or the story you feel you’ve been left with?

Being part of a story that inspires you can lead to you feeling more Fired Up. Having a story that drags you down, or one you feel disappointed with, definitely won’t. Often we continue to be the lead in a story that really isn’t us, that really doesn’t suit us. I don’t mean you have to be the hero of an action story, or the lead in a romance – you just have to feel that the story of your life that is playing out in front of you is one you’re happy to see unfolding before you and to be part of. Here are some six word stories I’ve heard from other people:

One lady told me her story was: “Tired of struggling. Have no choice.” Wow. This was a female executive who had risen through the ranks but the political battle within corporate life was dragging her down. It wasn’t letting her live, let alone live in a Fired Up state.

We have to be so careful; the things we tell ourselves and the language we use has a huge impact – either positive or negative – on how we feel. How we feel directly impacts how we approach our work and therefore can impact the results we get – whether good or bad.

After working with the female executive for a while, she rewrote her story as: “Seeing the light. Work in progress.” A great story – one which still describes her situation, but the language used in the rewrite gave her hope and motivation, rather than a sense of resignation.

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