Do you have faith in the story you tell? - part II
Posted by Tim Gruber | Filed under inspiration, storytelling
Here’s part II of my post on Do you have faith in the story you tell? You can find Part I here.
They will only have faith in a story that has become real for them personally. Once people make your story, their story, you have tapped into the powerful force of faith.
Make me laugh. Make me cry. Put a bit of yourself in every photo you take. Most importantly make me feel and I’ll have faith in your story.
Before anyone allows you to influence them, they want to know, “Who are you and why are you here?” If you don’t take the time to give a positive answer to that question, they will make up their own answers—usually negative.
How can we expect people to trust us, to be influenced by us, when we don’t let them know who we are?
I believe photography is a give and take relationship. You give something of yourself and your subjects are likely to give you something in return. Odds are what you receive might be even greater than the pictures you take. Don’t always take. Remember to give.
If a group believes most consultants are more interested in billable days than client success, they don’t hear a thing until they decide for themselves that “this” consultant is different. A minister who is not seen as a compassionate man cannot successfully deliver a message of love and forgiveness.
Meaning don’t BS your subjects. They laid out a welcome mat for you to be there. Respect them with nothing but honesty and compassion.
Let people see who you are, help them to feel like they know you personally, and your trust ratio automatically triples?
Sure I know you’re a photographer and you’re there to take pictures, but don’t forget to put your camera down at times. Remove that shield we call the camera from your face and heart and allow yourself to experience what your subjects feel. Your subjects will thank you.
Her story is laced with the shared humanity of love, humor, and risk and when she told it to an auditorium of 800 listeners there wasn’t a person there that wasn’t engaged.
Know your camera so well the mechanics are just a function of what you do. Invest your thoughts, energy, and heart into lacing your story with humanity and compassion.
My grandfather said to me ‘give the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.’ Then his grandfather said, ‘I have asked myself—what if every day I had refused to accept yesterday’s definition of my best?
Make like a sponge and absorb all you can from those around you. Their love. Their knowledge. Absorb the good and wring out the bad. Remember the only person you truly compete against is yourself. Set and continue to raise your own bar and hold yourself to it day after day.
Thank you Grandma. You give me the faith and strength to believe in my story.
What footprint will you leave?
Further Reading:
Tags: advice, inspiration, quotes, storytelling