I stumbled into storytelling.
Really. I didn't know.. it was a thing. But now I infuse it in almost every role I play. I'm still working on the skills but I'm getting there.
I have a couple strong beliefs. Values. One is that nothing happens by chance. ever. I believe that there are laws of life and because of our interconnectedness, one thing may lead to another. In other instances, when the occurrence is not a result of someone (or my own) choices, then I look to the ultimate Storyteller as I'm always certain, He is up to something. This balances my life a bit, because I can now see and understand that even though God is all powerful and mighty and all kinds of amazing, I can also acknowledge and accept that He doesn't "cause" all of the circumstances that occur in my life. But what I am confident in (another strong belief) that He ensures that the parts of the story... whether in my control or due to another's choices come together to not just "make sense" but also to work together for good.
And its the crux of that last part why I love storytelling. It facilitates hope. It builds and strengthens one's belief that "you are not alone". You can find strength and encouragement and storytelling helps to build communities.
From early times, stories have been centre to building and sustaining. The best example to use is the Jewish culture and the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, which held the stories that united a people.
And the stories brought hope. You see, the same God- Yahweh, who
- spared Joseph from death, positioned him and then saved nations through him,
is the same God who
- brought the baby Moses to the palace then to the wilderness and back to the palace but as the hero of an enslaved people.
is the same God who
- chose that a little shepherd boy, who would be trained in the wild, and from that training, face a giant- --kill him, and eventually lead a nation.
Their stories inspired. They reminded them of God's goodness and faithfulness and the stories became the crux of many of their celebrations and special holidays.
Our stories do that. When we share of our authentic selves, others get to see and hear how you overcome. They get to get a perspective that may have been lost on them due to being entrenched in their own drama. We connect. We inspire. We hope.
My story for Stories of Hope speaks to the beauty of the big picture. It requires wayyy more than this post can handle, but here are highlights of how this shy, timid, introvert who loves reading, is passionate about helping people but limited by her own views of self manages to be co-launching a tv show and nonprofit.
- From early college (1998ish) wanted to help people and was attracted to psychology
- 2002 completed masters programme in Mental health counseling
- Then worked as a therapist and found myself quickly getting bored and frustrated with individual therapy
- Moved into doctoral program where I could become equipped to address emotional and mental health issues from a more systematic way, groups/communities
- Was really intrigued with concept of resilience...there was something about being faced with impossibilities but still coming out, alive that just pulled to the core of who I am. I was always a sucker for the underdog movies.
- Started with qualitative research back in 2012...thought it was going to be a better way to explore the concepts of hope and resilience.
- Came home..thought I was going to immediately start another nonprofit. Each effort of that never materialized.
- Got an invite to apply for a nonprofit. applied. got hired. Worked there for 2.5 years and met some amazing people and really boosted my skills beyond what I had learned in school.
- Chatting with colleague turned friend about negativity in media and community... thinking there has to be more
- Answered the call and started Stories of Hope with Dr Gia (2016)
- More tugging. more "calls" (think Moana post)... I (with a friend), we are answering. We are here... and steamrolling and adding to the story.
Grace, peace, and love,
r Gia
