Gotham, Wakanda, Paradise Island, Asgard, Krypton.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away.

Superheroes 🦸🏾 have origin stories. What's yours?

THE ORIGINAL

The virtues of "BEING ORIGINAL" get thrown around a lot. We like to buy "the original." We like to hang out with "original" people.

Ever noticed that being "original" literally means having an origin? DUDE, it's in the word!

Want to be original? You'd better have a back story, and you'd better be willing/able to share it. 

WE'VE ALL GOT ONE

And lest you think YOUR back story isn't good enough, or too weird, or unrelatable, or you don't have one: think again, General Zod.

We've ALL got a back story - and there's no such thing as an origin story that "isn't good enough" because your origin story is the PERFECT origin story for YOU. 🫵

THAT'S what makes origin stories so powerful - each one is different - each one is ORIGINAL.

En garde, Chat GPT.

SHANGRI-LA

During the first 25 years of my life I lived and worked in various parts of Asia and the Pacific 🌏; it's a huge part of my origin story. Recently, my family and I went on a big trip to visit many places across the dateline that they'd never been to and I hadn't visited in a long time.

The trip reminded me about the importance of sharing origin stories. It's something I'm always encouraging my clients to do and something I want to do more of, too.

JUST HOLD ON A SECOND THERE, PROFESSOR

"But Eric! Isn't focusing on our origin story super self-centered? To be influential, aren't we supposed to make it all about them?!?"

                                      YES

Yes. Absolutely. Start with them. Make it about them. And realize that sharing your origin story IS about them because your motive in sharing it is not to sell yourself. You're sharing your story because it offers them context, safety, connection. Sharing your origin story is actually a vital part of service.

Think about the best superhero origin stories you know: I'll bet there isn't a lot of bragging.

More than likely, your favorite origin stories (even the ones from sci-fi) are just real. They don't shy away from talking about sacrifice, doubt, and struggle. They're vulnerable. They're original. 

Tell Your Story, Eric 🎉