Everybody has a story. Where you were born, where you went to school, when you got married, had kids, jobs you’ve had, and so on.
But a story is more than just a series of plot points. Often we make the mistake, when we are asked about the book we are currently reading, of just reciting the plot. First X happens, then Y, then Z. It’s great!
But a story, that is, a narrative, is about much more than that. It is about how it makes you feel. It is about an overarching theme. What was your takeaway from the book? Was there a moral of the story? Are the characters well defined, and memorable? How is the setting significant? Are there recurring motifs?
Of course, with a piece of fiction, an author can choose to insert some of these elements as they see fit. To stress the importance of family to the main character, for instance, they might add a scene where siblings hash out their resentments from childhood.
But in reality, you are the author of your story, and you can add scenes — that is, do things — that have personal meaning to you. Some events in life are just random, but others are very purposefully chosen. You control what your life is about.
So what is the story – not just the plot points — of your life? Can you recognize a narrative throughline to the things you have done over the course of your life? Is there something you are striving to, or working towards? What is the meaning?
Related questions: How do you talk about yourself? Where do you find meaning in your life? Is happiness the most important purpose in life? What is the most interesting thing about you?
To begin, my wife, my pup, and my home mean the world to me. They are part of my story. They are where I find love, where I recharge so I can keep doing the work I do, and where I find moments of levity in a harsh world.
But when I look at the full arc of my life, I see a story deeply connected to poverty. First, I grew up poor. But I escaped poverty, in part because I did well in school and a guidance counselor saw something in me and told me I was going to college. That simple act of believing in me changed the trajectory of my life.
In college, I learned a great deal about hunger and homelessness—two of the cruelest forms of poverty. I studied these issues, but more importantly, I became an activist, an organizer, and an advocate, working to alleviate poverty and end homelessness.
After college, I carried that commitment into my working life. I stayed involved in activism, eventually got noticed, and was hired as executive director of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless. I spent eleven years there. Since then, I have worked on affordable housing, a more just food system, and renters’ rights, but my vocation has remained remarkably consistent.
I want to play a role in ending homelessness in Minnesota.