The core beliefs for Reignite My Story begin with the simple thought that everyone has a story to share. Our lives are our stories and every story is worth sharing with others.
That moves us to the second Core Belief for this site: There’s a reset (at least one) in every story.
So, first, let’s quickly define a reset. Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of dealing with computers or other electronic devices that must be updated. Sometimes the updates (or the apps we have added) go awry and we have to take the device back to a point before the problem began. You have to hit the reset button. There are many other terms that you can use to describe a reset: a do-over, a mulligan, a comeback, a restart, a second chance, etc. No matter the term you choose, the goal is the same.
Maybe this will help in explaining it. We’re currently in the middle of March Madness, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Many people (I’m included) filled out brackets that attempt to take the field and narrow it down to a championship pick. ESPN said that out of the millions of brackets submitted only 19 came close to a perfect first round, picking 31 out of 32 winners. The game that sunk many of those brackets came when Michigan State (one of my picks for the Final Four!) went down in a first-round upset to Middle Tennessee State.
It was just one game out of 32 in the first round. But that one little choice had wide-ranging implications on those going for the glory, bragging rights and money in office pools. Many were on social media wishing for a chance at a reset, a chance to make a correction. In fact, ESPN even offered second-chance brackets to pick winners — a chance at a reset!
Every life story can have those same kinds of moments. It might be choices we make, situations we find ourselves in, the circumstances of life, a change we wanted or didn’t want, news we might not have been expecting, a call we didn’t want to get, a new job that we wanted, etc. Everyone of those moments takes us to a place where we can need a reset, a do-over, a second chance, a new opportunity.
In discussing our first core value, I referenced some of the elements that make up a story (especially in terms of writing). Let’s concentrate on one particular element. Some describe it this way: the main character (in your story, that’s you) needs to overcome a challenge. In many ways, the event, situation or circumstances that lead us to needing a reset are exactly that challenge for us.
Sometimes, let’s be honest, that situation, that event, that circumstance, can initially whip us. Watch most any movie involving a hero and you’ll find that very rarely does the “hero” ever defeat the villain in the first encounter. Batman has to take a beating, Iron Man has to get knocked down, Superman has to stumble. Characters learn from that encounter and do something different the next time out. They are more prepared, more skilled and more ready for the challenge.
In a sense, those characters (and us too) experience our moments of reset in overcoming the challenges we face in life.
A reset takes courage and commitment. A reset is not easy and might challenge us in many ways. The reset might change the way you see yourself and the way that you change the world. And, that reset is essential to the story we tell with our lives.
Think about your own life. Where are your moments of reset? What challenges have you overcome? Where do you need a do-over, a mulligan?
- Everyone has a story to share.
- There’s a reset (at least one) in every story.
Reignite my Story 