How to write your Origin Story

(and why it's so powerful)

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I was talking with an entrepreneur recently.

They’re starting to build their personal brand online, but don’t know where to start.

“Start with your origin story,” I told them.

The Origin Story is one of my favorite writing frameworks.

What is it?

It’s the collection of your life’s defining moments.

Your Origin Story is essential.

It is:

  • the fabric of who you are

  • the bond that connects you with others

  • how you leave your imprint on the world

Before anyone will be interested in your company, your non-profit, your program or anything else you’re building, they want to feel a connection to you.

That’s what your Origin Story achieves.

Here are 4 simple ways you can tell yours:

One note before we dive in:

Your Origin Story isn’t a singular story.

Instead, think of it as many different stories that add up to who you are.

You may have 50+ pieces of content that collectively tell your Origin Story.

Okay, now here are 4 ways to tell your Origin Story:

1. By age

Break your life into decades.

  • 1-10 years

  • 11-20

  • 21-30

  • Etc…

Now list out the defining moments of each decade.

  • Which moments shaped you in those years?

  • What stories left an indelible mark on you?

  • What life lessons marked those years?

Add up everything you wrote for each decade, and that’s your Origin Story.

2. By school grade

Reflect on your life by different periods in your education.

  • Elementary school

  • Middle school

  • High school

  • College

Then list out the defining moments of your educational journey.

Note: Obviously, this won’t cover post-school years. You’ll have to account for that another way, such as No. 3 or 4.

3. By person

Think about the people who’ve made a significant impact on your life.

  • Friends

  • Parents

  • Coaches

  • Teachers

  • Family members

Write down the stories of how they helped shape you.

4. By type of moment

Think about different types of “moments” in your life.

  • Life lessons

  • Biggest wins

  • Biggest losses

  • Favorite stories

  • Cherished memories

List out what comes to mind on each category.

There’s a specific way each of these have impacted you.

Altogether, that’s your Origin Story.

These are just 4 ways to put together your Origin Story.

However you approach this, take your time with the exercise. Do it in multiple sittings.

You’ll likely have dozens of defining moments — some big, some small — that come out of this.

Each one of those is a different piece of content to create. All of them make up the Origin Story of your life.

The best part: Once you write these stories, they’re in your toolkit forever.

You can share them on social media, in job interviews, at speaking events, with friends and family, with clients …

Anytime you need to communicate with people, you can pull out an Origin Story and be confident you’ll form a connection.

Set aside 15-30 minutes this week to start outlining your Origin Story.

I hope this helps.

Personal Brand Consulting

Building your personal brand makes you more well-known online.

What that means to you is a bigger, more valuable network.

And the real value of that is you grow your business faster.

I was talking to a friend recently who runs an investment company.

He now gets 3-5 inbound deals per week because he’s spent the last two years building his personal brand online.

That’s the power of building your audience.

I do 1:1 consulting with entrepreneurs and business leaders to help them build their personal brands online.

Reply to this email with “consulting” if you want to accelerate your business and personal brand.

Thanks for reading.

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