How to Answer the Question, "What's Your Story?"
- Cara McLauchlan
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
The simple question "What's your story?" sounds like an easy ask. So why did it leave me bumbling away and at a loss for words?
After all, I love stories, I write stories, stories are my jam. I had just spent the last hour hearing the sweet personal story of the asker - a young man and his girlfriend. They shared openly what was on their hearts and I was invited to pray over their needs. It was a natural next question for them to want to know me. So why was it so hard to share in a real way?
The truth is, it's easy for me to be curious about other people, but harder to be vulnerable with them.
When the "what's your story?" question came up, my first thought was to answer in a surface way. Factual answers like: I'm a writer, I've been married for going on 29 years, I'm a mom/stepmom to three adult children who really don't need any momming. I love cooking and gardening. But the question was asked to know me personally, not my resume or my list of activities.
To be real, my answer was kind of lame. I awkwardly talked about how I loved serving others because it allowed me to practice my faith, what I'm learning, and how it was a chance to spend less time on my own worries. It was a passable answer, but again, more about my doings than who I truly was.
Here's what I wished I would have said:
"Thank you for asking. It's a rare quality that people actually want to take the time to know each other's stories. In fact stories are something that I have loved creating in tiny little books when I was a kid and even now as an adult. What makes me happiest is gathering and sharing stories that encourage people to stay reminded of the best parts of life. "
What About You? How Would You Answer That Question?
My encouragement is to take a moment to think about that question. Don't dive right into your factual self, but consider answering it with what it is you truly love and what makes you feel most alive. How has God designed you that makes you uniquely you? What's your real story?
Isn't that what we really want to know when we meet people? Not just their accomplishments, but the trueness of their heart. This takes a smidge more vulnerability than listing where your work and your hobbies. But when people take the time to truly know who we are, we owe them a good answer.
When we share our stories, we share the very best of who we really are.