Stories are the oldest form of education we have. It's how we have always passed down cultural beliefs and traditions and shared our history for future generations. As children, the stories started once upon a time. And they were valuable tools in helping us learn valuable life lessons. The stories we are bombarded with as adults are not fairy tales. Yet, we share stories all the time to illustrate our argument, convey empathy, or offer insight into a complex situation.

Your soul story is the core of who you are, and you may not even be aware of it. Oh, but I promise you it's there. Operating under the surface in your subconscious. Acting as your personal GPS guidance system and helping guide you on your journey through life.

A simple way to explain a soul story is to describe it as the wisdom you have gained from a significant life experience. It's how you are doing things differently. It's how you are living your life in a particular way than before the life event happened.

One such event for me was my second breast cancer diagnosis. The first time I was diagnosed, I had outpatient surgery and wanted to get on with my life as quickly as possible. To get back to "normal." When it happened again three years later, I realized my life may never return to the normal routine I was living before. Because I had changed. And I knew I hadn't absorbed the soul story of my first diagnosis. Yes, the physical stuff healed. It was the trauma of confronting how fragile life is and how we only have the time that is the present moment to be really alive.

So, the wisdom I learned and attribute to my second breast cancer diagnosis is that life is too short not to make yourself a priority and do what you feel you were created to do in this life. What do I think I'm called to do in this life? I believe my soul's calling is to share the message that your story matters because nobody else can tell your story from the inside out.

You are the only person in this Universe who knows the lesson you learned from the life events you have experienced. And more importantly, is that somebody else needs your story. Your soul story represents hope to those who are seeking a solution to a situation that gave you the skills you have today. A situation that has made you who you are right now.

Ok. Ok. Circling back to the start about stories. You can't get away from them. It's how life makes sense for us. Knowing the stories that are important to you could hold the key to understanding yourself. And it could be a way for people to get to know, like, and trust you on a brand new level. A deeper level.

Your story matters. Your soul story matters because it's the core of who you are and why you do what you do.