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Great Stories Make College Essays Stand Out
"Describe a moment of personal growth in your life." "Recall a setback you faced and how you overcame it." "Discuss an interest that is meaningful to you."...these are some of the most common prompts for college essays. Although the question may vary across different applications, the purpose of the essay remains the same: to allow the admissions board of the college to get to know you, the applicant. While you may spend days or weeks editing your essay to the point of perfection, remember that college admissions officers are likely only going to spend about 10 minutes reading it. Your essay is one in a sea of thousands, so ensuring that it will stand out from the others before sending it in is essential. The way to do this is to [...]
Choosing the Best Job Offer
Whether you're going into your first full-time job straight out of college or transitioning within your career, choosing between several job offers can be challenging. There are a lot of different factors that go into deciding on a job, such as work environment, compensation, benefits, culture, and location. With all these things to consider and a limited amount of time to make a decision, it's not unusual to feel a bit stressed. The best way to get yourself through this decision with ease is simple: know yourself. Although there are many factors that will play into the decision you make, you need to figure out which of those factors is the most important to you. For example, you may want to take the offer with the closest location because you value [...]
Showing vs. Telling: What’s the Difference?
Showing vs. Telling: What's the Difference? If you've ever had to do a creative writing assignment, you may remember receiving the instruction "show, don't tell". If you're like me, you probably wondered what this means. How exactly do you "show" in your writing? And why is it so much better than telling? Consider the following two statements that you might see in a college essay or cover letter: "I'm a natural leader who is passionate about helping others." "In the past year, I organized several fundraisers to help raise money for my local homeless shelter, which I also spend time volunteering at every weekend." Although the statements basically say the same thing, the second one resonates with the reader much more because it shows, rather than tells. Think about it: anyone can [...]
Making Your Career a Meaningful One
According to State of the American Workplace, 70% of today's workers are either not engaged or "actively disengaged" in their work. This shows evidence that for them, their work lacks meaning. If you aren't feeling satisfied at work and find yourself unmotivated most days, there's a good chance that you are part of this 70% of workers. So how do you make your work meaningful and become engaged? There's always the option of giving up your 9-5 job and attempting to pursue your pipe dream, though for the majority of people this option is not in touch with reality. Instead, you'll need to find ways to make the job you already have meaningful to you. First, look to the past chapter of your story. Consider the fact that you chose this job [...]
Using Your Story to Create a Meaningful Life
As mentioned in previous posts, the key to success and happiness in a career is doing work that is meaningful to you. However, something that many of us forget is that your career shouldn't be the only area of life that creates meaning for you. People often allow themselves to be completely defined by their career, especially if they are passionate about it. While being passionate about work is great and a meaningful career should certainly be part of who you are, don't forget to let other areas of your life make up the parts of your story. For most of us, being defined by our career happens post-college when we dive into full-time work for the first time. While this can be an exciting time, we often leave other aspects of [...]
3 “Shark Tank” Successes Who Built Their Brands Through Story
Some of the most innovative and interesting products can be found on the reality series Shark Tank. Besides the great products, one thing I really love about Shark Tank is that every entrepreneur who appears on the show comes with a personal story. This story is used to build a unique brand that is truly their's. David Heath and Randy Goldberg: Bombas Heath and Goldberg launched their athletic socks company after learning that socks were the number-one most requested clothing item at homeless shelters. Determined to help, they decided to follow a model similar to TOMS, where for each pair of socks purchased, a pair is donated to someone in need. Heath and Goldberg make sure that the spirit of giving back is shared among their organization - on each employee's first day, [...]
Telling Your Story – It’s a Performance
Once you have finished organizing your story, the next step is to go out in the world and tell it. This may mean casually telling it to friends and family, or it could be in more serious situations such as a job interview or even a speech at a conference. For any of these situations, no matter how serious or casual, you should think of your story as a performance. Although you may have your story written on paper and know it in your head, you'll find that getting it into conversation with others is not the same. It takes a bit of practice. With every situational telling of your story, there are several factors you need to consider. Who is the audience? What environmental factors might affect the way your story [...]
The Moth: Bringing Stories To Life
A few months ago, I attended a live performance of The Moth. Prior to this event, I had never heard of The Moth and had no idea what to expect for the show. The person who gave me the ticket had said that it simply consisted of people telling stories. The show was just that: people telling stories. However, it did not feel “simple” at all. Although the event took place back in February, I still think about it quite often. During the performance, five storytellers took the mic to tell their 10-minute stories. Each one was personal and unique. Some were humorous, others emotional, and a couple even a mixture of both. Most importantly, they were all extremely engaging. There are a few aspects that make an engaging story and [...]
Avoiding Depression in Retirement
While many people look forward to retirement, not many fully realize how much of an adjustment it will be. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, individuals on average experience a 6-9% decrease in mental health over the course of six years following retirement. (http://www.nber.org/papers/w12123.pdf) However, you do not have to be part of this statistic. Depression post-retirement usually occurs because of two main reasons: 1. Individuals often let themselves become defined by their career, leaving them with a sort of “identity crisis” following retirement. 2. Individuals don’t know what to do with the vast amount of extra time they now have in the day. Both of these causes for depression can be avoided if enough planning goes into pre-retirement. While one often thinks of planning for retirement in a [...]
Tips For Journaling Daily
Journaling has many benefits. By recording your thoughts and feelings on a regular basis, you will gain insight into your actions and become more self-aware. It can also help relieve stress. Many people find that a situation that seems complicated in their head isn’t so scary once it’s out on paper. Along with this, a journal can serve as the building blocks to your story. However, if you have never journaled before, getting into the habit can be tough. Here are some tips for making journaling a consistent part of your life: 1. Pick a consistent time of day to do it. When you journal at the same time every day, it will eventually become part of your routine. Some of the best times to do it are as soon as [...]
Practice Your Public Speaking Skills
If you’re like most people out there, the thought of public speaking probably makes you a bit nervous. However, it is a skill that you will most likely need to use at some point in your life. Even if you don’t plan to give a speech anytime soon, becoming skilled at public speaking benefit you tremendously in job interviews, networking events, or even in basic socializations with friends and family. The level of confidence that you exude through your presence, body language, and tone of voice will make a huge difference in the way others take in your message. So, how do you become a great public speaker? Practice, practice practice. There’s no way you’ll show up confidently as a public speaker until you become comfortable with it. Almost no one [...]
How to Tell a Story Through Your Resume
When you think of a resume, a story is probably the last thing on your mind. The bullet point, short sentence structure does not lend itself to the traditional framework of a narrative. However, many hiring managers appreciate when individuals utilize their resumes as tools to get to know them on a personal level. Your resume is usually the first thing that a hiring manager sees. Most of the time, they look at it for less than 30 seconds. This means that your resume has to stand out in the sense that it reflects you, but is still short and to the point. Sounds tricky, but it can be done. The main error people make when constructing their resumes occurs in the employment history section. When describing each past job, many people will just [...]
How Company Culture Brings in the Best Staff
Without a great company culture, organizations will fail to reach their full potential. Company culture defines how employees interact with others, both within an organization and outside of it. It creates the organization's work environment and constructs the image of the company that customers see. Perhaps most importantly, it attracts top talent. One of the top examples organizations like to follow in terms of company culture is Zappos. In his book Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh explains how happiness isn't just delivered to customers, but to employees as well. It makes sense, because how could employees genuinely bring happiness to customers if they are not happy themselves? Although Zappos prides itself on a happy work environment, the company is very selective with what people they hire. Two separate interviews are held - [...]
Your Practices and Why They Matter
Take a second to think about the things you do every single day. It might be walking your dog, eating dinner with family, or going to the gym. These activities may seem mundane or not particularly special to you, but the fact that they happen so frequently certainly means something. These activities are your practices; or activities that frequently occur in your life. These are usually the things that happen every day, week, or several times a month. They can also consist of the things you do that are related to hobbies and interests, or seasonal activities (like going to the beach or going on ski trips). So, why are practices so important? If we take a closer look at our practices, we can be informed on what our core beliefs are. The first step [...]
When You’re Struggling to Write
Even the most talented writers struggle with writer's block at times. Let's face it - writing, especially when you're starting from scratch, can be difficult. This is especially true for those who don't spend a lot of time writing. For beginners, creating a story may seem like an intimidating task. However, it doesn't have to be. Storying is a very personal process. It needs to be done with an open, non-distracted mind. If someone is too sidetracked by figuring out how to construct an organized paragraph, it is unlikely that his/her story will be expressed in the way that it needs to be. Although many narrative tools like StoryPathing™ are focused on reflective writing, some may need a few additional steps to get to this point. This is where the time comes to [...]
Why Creating Your Story is a Lifelong Process
Once you have all the steps of the StoryPathing™ process, you will emerge with something extremely valuable: a clear envisioned future and a story to tell that will help you get there. However, this does not mean that your story work is completed. Even if you feel that your story perfectly captures who you are and where you want to go, it is essential that you revisit and revise it often. If you continue to rely on the same story you originally created as a frame of reference tool in your life, you may find that it will eventually stop being as effective as it once was. This is due to the fact that we are constantly growing. Over time, we gain new responsibilities as well as develop new hobbies and interests. The [...]
Three Reasons to Get Your Story Straight
Be honest. If someone were to ask you "what's your story?", would you have an easy time answering? Most people wouldn't. Although you may think you know yourself, what you value, and where you want to go in the future, knowing your story is not something that just happens organically. It is a process that takes a lot of time and self-reflection. However, the effort put into figuring it out will be well worth it in the end. Here are some ways that knowing your story can be beneficial: 1. You'll learn about yourself. Sometimes it's hard to uncover what it is you believe, value and desire until you explore the "why" behind those aspects of your life. When you begin to look at the things you did in the [...]
How a Strong Story can Make Your Business Stand Out
Every new business has trouble setting itself apart from the competition. Almost 100% of the time, there is at least one another business out there that offers the same goods or services. Most of the time, there are many that have already developed a strong following and customer base. With circumstances like these, how does a business that is just starting out make a name for itself? The answer, of course, is owning and knowing how to tell your unique story. If you are a business owner, then there is bound to be a story inside of you. Starting your own business is not an easy venture and is certainly not something people just do for the sake of it. You started this business because it is something you are truly passionate about. [...]
The Importance of Mentoring
For young professionals who have recently graduated or are just starting out in their industry, getting their foot in the door somewhere can be quite the challenge. Once they've found a job, adjusting to the new environment can be an even bigger challenge. Through their college education, young professionals have acquired the "hard skills" that are necessary for their selected profession. However, these skills are only half of what makes a successful professional. "Soft skills", such as leadership skills, understanding and communicating with others, and personal confidence are also a requirement. Since there are no college courses on confidence (at least not that I'm aware of), these "soft skills" must be learned over time. Often, they come with years of experience. However, a great way for young professionals to develop a [...]
Why are Students Taking so Long to Get Their Degree?
According to a study by Complete College America, most students take about six years to get their bachelor's degree. However, in most colleges and universities throughout America, a bachelor's degree is designed to be completed in about four years. The extra two years students spend in school costs an extra $50k on average. So, where do the two extra years come from, and how can they be avoided? Complete College America found that two major factors contribute to students not graduating on time: 1. Transferring schools. When a student transfers schools during the process of obtaining his/her degree, that student often has to do a lot of "catching up" at the new school. Even though this student may be transferring with the same major, it's not a "one size fits all" deal. [...]
Three Brands that Know How to Tell a Story Through Video
Today, more than ever, people want to be engaged emotionally when it comes to supporting and believing in brands. The way to do this is through story. A good brand story is unique, engaging, and personal. Recently, technology has proven to be incredibly useful in helping brands tell their story. In particular, video is a great medium for storytelling as it allows for both visual and auditory storytelling, as well as creativity in the way the story is told. Below are some examples of brands that utilized video to their advantage. Blue Apron Blue Apron is a company that delivers all-natural ingredients and recipes to their customers on a weekly basis. Their mission is to make high-quality home-cooked meals from scratch easily accessible for everyone. In this video, they show us what is [...]
Why Storytelling is the Most Effective Way of Teaching
Throughout my time in school, I never had much of an interest History class. While it wasn't my weakest subject, I couldn't help but find the course content to be dull. To me, it was just a bunch of facts, names, and dates that I had to memorize. However, this changed during my junior year of high school when I had a History teacher who approached the subject in a way I had never seen done before. He thought of History in the way it was meant to be thought of: a story. Unlike other teachers who would break their lectures down into bullet points read directly off a powerpoint presentation, this teacher would tell a story for about one hour every class. He would make these stories so engaging and [...]
How a Well-Rehearsed Story Can Help You Make the Most of a Networking Experience
Whether you're an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in between, you could benefit from a few tips before going to your first networking event. Networking is a great tool that will help you make connections with others in your industry as well as build relationships that will benefit both you and the people you are connecting with. Although a networking environment is a much more relaxed one than that of a job interview, it is still important to be just as prepared to tell your story. There are a few things to remember, however, about the way you tell your story in a networking setting. First, as mentioned before, networking is a lot more relaxed and casual than a situation like a job interview or giving a speech at a conference. When [...]
5 Tips for Getting Into a Self-Reflective State of Mind
Programs like StoryPathing™ have the power to make a huge difference in your life and career. However, in order for this to occur, you'll need to put in the work and be serious about getting your story straight. This often requires getting into a state of self-reflection. This can be a challenge, as most of us are not used to being in this state. It requires deep focus and a clear mind. While achieving this may seem tough, here are some steps for effective self-reflection and getting the most our of your story. Limit Distractions Whether it's your phone, computer, television, or others around you, distractions from the outside world can quickly steer you away from a good reflection session. Try to find a space that has as little distractions as possible; [...]
What to Do When You’re Feeling “Stuck”
We've all experienced it: that feeling that we are no longer satisfied with where we are. It could be in the context of work, a relationship, a course of study, or even where we "are" physically in the world. We wish things were different. At the same time, the thought of changing these circumstances ourselves scares us, as we know it will require a push out of our comfort zone. We also may not know where to start. We seek change, yet are intimidated by it. This is what causes us to feel "stuck". No one enjoys being in this position. Being unhappy and feeling powerless to change it can eventually lead to feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. We are the only ones who can change our circumstances. So how can [...]