Today is the first day of National Storytelling Week.

This annual UK festival runs through February 4th and brings live storytelling to schools, theaters, pubs, town halls and anywhere the public will gather to hear stories told. 

In the UK, lucky school children will get a chance this week to learn to craft and share their own stories. And it just doesn’t seem fair that we don’t all get that chance. 

So, in celebration of this inspired event, I’ve put together a week-long Story Challenge to help you identify, develop, craft and share your own personal story.

And it's FREE!

If you decide to take The Story Challenge with us, all next week (January 31 – February 6) you will get a daily email to guide you through that process of  building your story day by day, one stone at a time. 

Each email comes with:

• A story prompt to focus on one stone each day
• Three strategic questions to help you get specific
• A short video to inspire your work

And on Sunday we'll gather in the monthly Wheel of Creativity Connect Call to share our experiences and our stories.

Why this? Why now?

As I wrote last week, we are at a landmark time in history. Millions are reassessing their lives and asking what is next for them. 5.4 milllion Americans applied to launch their own businesses last year. Millions more have left jobs without knowing what’s next. And global challenges confront us more personally than ever before.

Why should you think about your story now?

“Our eventual fate will be the sum of the stories we told ourselves long enough.”  ― Crystal Woods

We're all telling stories all the time - about ourselves and about other people. Some are true, but some are not. If you think you can't write fiction, just think about the things you’ve made up about the person who cut you off in traffic, the bully who abused you in childhood, the guy or gal who broke your heart, the person on the opposite of the political spectrum.

Isn't it time to take charge of your stories? 

Here's what next week will look like:

• Monday. Story Prompt 1. Reflect. Choose the story you tell.
• Tuesday. Story Prompt 2. Ideate. Generate an idea out of nothing.
• Wednesday. Story Prompt 3. Test. Stay focused through the process.
• Thursday. Story Prompt 4. Incubate. Keep the faith when you doubt yourself.
• Friday. Story Prompt 5. Produce. Sustain your energy to complete your work.
• Saturday. Story Prompt 6. Practice. Embody your story by making it yours. 
• Sunday. Story Prompt 7. Share. Share your stories at this month’s Creative Community Connect Call.

So…

• If you have a story you want to tell and aren't telling
• If you long to express yourself more authentically in your creative medium
• If you would like to record your life story but don't know where to start
• If you feel called to respond to a social challenge
• If you need to reassess and refocus your professional story toward a new career path

...then this challenge is for you!

Never has the need been greater for inspired individuals to step up with creative solutions for our global challenges. And these solutions always emerge from within us, when we listen to what calls us  and create what we long for.

What is the story you want to tell with your life?

I hope you'll join us.