Written by: Elle Ballard, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What is your story? What is it that makes you unique? What happens a lot of the time is we do not give enough value to our story. We think our story is just like someone else’s out there, we believe all other people feel the way we think, but in reality, each of us is unique with our own amazing story, own uniqueness, values, and beliefs. People are different with different life stories. This is all multiplied by the cultural assumptions we grew up with. Our beliefs stand behind our decisions we make in life. If we lead with our story, our strengths, heritage, and backgrounds can help others open up.
What is your unique story? If you have a business today or aspire to have a business, what inspires that decision? Where did it come from? I always wanted to be in business for myself but had a lot of unknowns. I graduated from an MBA program with a Marketing degree, worked in a number of corporations, and had a good career. After I lost my job, I realized that this was the time to go after what I wanted finally. The universe always gives us what we need.
This is how I realized that my professional life had transformed and had become my passionate life! That is my unique story. Remember, you have a story.
Next, ask yourself, "who is my audience, and what do I want my readers to take away when they read my story?" Who do you think will be your story’s primary audience based on what you are writing about? Take time to identify your audience and mission for your book. When we were working on our first Women of the World Network Anthology compilation representing 13 countries, our mission was to give light to diverse stories of women who overcame different challenges to empower and inspire women through other women’s stories in the book. It became an amazing compilation of stories published earlier this year and became a 1 International Bestseller in nine countries!
Finally, start crafting your story by building a rough outline of your journey to make sure you are sharing all the essential key steps. After that, expand those key points into paragraphs, including all the details as much as possible.
Here is an example of using details in my story:
"I am from Kazakhstan, the 9th largest country in the world by land. It is the largest landlocked country, is home of the Baikonur space station, and the land that divides the Asia and Europe continents."
Before even starting to read my story, you know where I am from and how that place is different. It makes a story more memorable, more interesting.
In summary, always remember how important your story is, identify your audience, and start crafting your story, including as many details as possible.
We are currently working on our next compilation that will include recipes and stories from all over the world. These recipes are cooking recipes and professional recipes like "Recipe on living your mission," making this book unique. If this topic interests you, join us for our Anthology Q&A meeting on April 27, 11 AM PST. To learn more, you can RSVP for it here.
Elle Ballard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Elle Ballard was born in Kazakhstan and had been living in the US since 2002. When Elle came to the U.S., she had to start everything from scratch while supporting her family at the same time. Elle completed her MBA in Marketing and built a successful marketing career. She left the corporate world to pursue her true passion of impacting and helping people realize their true potential. Elle is a founder of Women of the World Network, John Maxwell Team Leadership Trainer and Speaker, Entrepreneur, and a mother. Despite all the challenges she faced, she always wanted to maintain her authenticity and who she is. This is a core reason for creating the Women of the World Network.
