Story Types

10 Word Stories This shortest expression of who you are at your essence is meant to get to the most important part of your life experience so far. Think of what most defines who you are and what has given your life purpose or direction. If it helps to start off with a list first, jot down three of the […]

100 Word Stories In what might be a typical one-page story or less, think of this as what you might tell as a summary version of a memoir or part of your life story that matters most to you. This could be an outline of your entire life experience. Think of what the chapter titles of your memoir (or your life […]

25 Word Stories This length of a story allows you to stretch out your essence a bit, to add a bit more feeling or emotion to this story of who you are at your core, of what matters most to you. Staying with the deep structure of beginning, muddle, and resolution, in 25 words, and in whatever format arises for […]

50 Word Stories This length allows you a little room to reach for a detail or two in telling the deep structure (beginning, muddle, and resolution) story of what has mattered most in your life. In 50 words, try to use only those words that capture the why of who you are at your essence.  

What does it mean to take responsibility for our world, and how do we do this? Beyond awareness, we each find our own way to bring into action our understanding of the vital role we have to play as we experience our world spinning out of balance. We each have our own way to express and put into action the […]

Altruism is embedded in the heart of the Golden Rule; it is love, compassion, and kindness in action. Globally, we have seen an increase in acts of altruism as natural disasters and unnatural tragedies have become more impactful. Altruistic love, acceptance of and assistance to the other without judgment or conditions, characterizes the highest level of moral development. In the […]

These are the kinds of stories that often go untold or even unexpressed. That’s why this may be one of the most important stories to tell. To enjoy and recognize the good qualities of someone or something is not only a way of valuing, showing respect, and treasuring what we have been given but also a way of making this […]

Everyone has some kind of ambition, hope, longing, yearning, or aspiration that inspires them toward something beyond where they currently are. This is part of our development toward who we want to become. A desire to achieve something is one of the things that brings whatever that is into being. What was it that awakened a feeling of longing or […]

There are times when we wake up from what may have seemed like a long slumber, or when a veil was lifted allowing us to see something for the first time that was right in front of us all along. What may have been before but a vague outline, now appears as a richly detailed picture of everything there is […]

Awe is an emotion we are all born with, a feeling of reverence, respect, and wonder all mixed together. There are moments in our lives when we are just wonderstruck, amazed, astonished, or lost for words in the grandeur, beauty, or admiration of something way beyond our expectations or even our understanding. Scientists say an experience of awe can help […]

One of the most common archetypes is known as the ‘the call to adventure.’ This happens when we are given the opportunity to break out of or leave behind something, or someplace, that has served us well or provided what we need from it. But we are usually slow to realize that it is time to move on from where […]

What we believe, in our heart, in our soul, is who we really are. Belief is the anchor of our values, the core of what we stand for, what we will not give in on. Belief is what guides our every action in life, and should, because nowhere else in our personal toolbox for living life do we have such […]

From either the perspective of giving birth or of being born, birth is both universal and unique, with similarities and differences to anyone else’s experience. Giving birth is often remembered in many ways, while being born is rarely remembered at all. Stories of one’s own birth are often the stuff of family lore. Because everyone is born into specific historical, […]

It is said the only constant in life is change. Sometimes we welcome it and other times we resist. When we are able to loosen ourselves from every day routine, we may find that change happens more smoothly. Change signals entering the unknown, uncharted waters, or beginning something we are unfamiliar with. Even if we’re ready, this new path is […]

This may have been something that we resisted at first, maybe because we thought it didn’t feel natural. But then after the experience of collaborating, we might have realized how natural and fulfilling it really is. To work together with another or others to produce something we wouldn’t have been able to on our own may at first take us […]

There’s usually a time in all of our lives when we feel for the first time that we have finally reached that place in relationship to others, adults especially, when we are their equal; or, we feel that we are now worthy of the recognition and respect we deserve as adults. In traditional communities of the past, these milestones were […]

Science has shown that there are certain kinds of events or circumstances that set off a compassion trigger in the brain. When this happens, we feel called to action. All religious, spiritual, and ethical traditions also place the principle of compassion at the heart of their teachings, calling us to not only treat all others with respect, justice, and equity, […]

Cooperation is what has gotten this complex world to where it is now. Without cooperation, not much would get accomplished. This is your chance to tell a story from your life that illustrates exactly how cooperation is carried out in the world. Think of a time in your life, or a situation, that required cooperation for what needed to happen. […]

There are times when it just feels too difficult or dangerous to do anything about something that is troubling us. The uncertainty or intimidation we feel often prevents us from confronting whatever it is that is causing the difficulty. Yet courage is a quality of the spirit that we are born with, allows us to face challenging situations, and is […]

The setting we are born into is the foundation for the structure of our life and the stories we tell about it. This setting needs to be understood, acknowledged, and embraced. Any aspect of our cultural or social setting may have influenced us in unknown ways, until we really look deeply into these factors. Reflect on who brought you into […]

Looking back on your life, there probably is a moment, experience, or event that you can identify as the beginning of a clear direction for your life, even though it may not have been noticed as such at the time. This moment can probably be seen as a turning point in your life, when your direction in life was shifted […]

Dignity is a universal human right; every person is inherently worthy of being valued for their own sake. Dignity is a birthright, which goes beyond respect, since it doesn’t have to be earned through one’s actions. Dignity is a common denominator that connects us all as members of the human family. Dignity is part of our shared identity; we all […]

Henry David Thoreau was on to something very crucial for our time when he asked, “Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” Empathy is a gift that enables us to take the perspective of another, to see the world through their eyes, and to deeply connect with them in […]

To enable or assist someone to envision, grow into, and realize their fullest powers, potential, and dreams is an unsurpassed way to fully alter the direction of another’s path. It is also one of the more transformative ways of focusing on what is most wanted for our lives and in the world. This can happen in all kinds of settings, […]

It’s not always that easy to speak with your own voice, to know how to express your own truth, or even to know that you have a voice of your own. There are many things throughout our lives that can suppress the desire, the ability, or the courage to say out loud what matters most to us. Whatever it is […]

The full equality in all fields of endeavor between women and men is one of the most important prerequisites for peace. Injustice against half the world’s population promotes harmful attitudes and habits among the other half. When evident in everyday interactions and relationships, feminine values and qualities – such as compassion, nurturance, cooperation, and empathy – move us closer to […]

Once we set out into any unknown realm, we find we encounter many new obstacles, hurdles, and even roadblocks. These can cause us to not only hesitate, pause, or have second thoughts about what we might have thought we wanted, but maybe even force us to reconsider a decision of setting out into the unknown in the first place. But […]

There are many kinds of healing and many things that we can heal from. The stories that are shared here are meant to include all stories of healing that show how, why, and what happened to move us from a state of disease or discomfort to a state of balance, ease, comfort, or health. Reflect on a time in your […]

Think of identity formation as a developmental or evolutionary process in which you become increasingly aware of who you really are at your essence. As we start out in life, we accumulate more and more identities and we eventually become comfortable with all of our multiple identities – ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, socioeconomic class, age, language, sexual orientation, physical ability, […]

We are all world wanderers, global nomads, descendants of ancestors who set out from one origin some 70,000 years ago on a long migration that covered the entire earth. We are more than the particular heritage we most identify with; we are all members of one human family ceaselessly on the way to someplace else. This is written in our […]

The illusion – or the reality – of separation is all too real to us. The ideal, or the goal, of inclusivity is much more desired by many. Experiencing and practicing equal access to all, whether for opportunities or resources, and including all who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized goes beyond the all too often passively understood fact of […]

Integrity is a quality, or virtue, of the human spirit, something we are all born with but may need a certain kind of situation or circumstance for it to come out and be expressed. Integrity can also be a practice, something we choose to act upon on a regular basis, that enables us to be honest and truthful in all […]

There is a legend, found in many traditions, that before we are born, while we’re still in the womb, an angel comes to us and takes us on a journey to show us what our life on earth will be like. But, when we are born we forget this, and our life purpose becomes to remember where we came from, […]

Most people are familiar with some version of the Golden Rule (treat others as you wish to be treated), which is the common thread uniting all the world’s sacred traditions. But do we think of that as the foundation for a system of justice, as well? We’ve gotten used to the disfunction of punitive systems of justice (“an eye for […]

Kindness is a quality, or virtue, of the human spirit that we are born with. Sometimes it takes special circumstances for kindness to be drawn out from within. We often don’t go looking for those situations to add our kindness to, they more often come looking for us. And then the question becomes are we ready or willing to express […]

Love stories are probably the most common motif found in all forms of writing, because anything to do with love gets to the heart who we are and why we are here. When we tell stories of how and why we have experienced love, we are expressing and sharing one of the most deeply held, universally human experiences that anyone […]

Stories of moral courage are stories that focus on the expression of bravery to enact interpersonal values or ethical standards in the face of challenge. Stories that focus on choosing to do the right thing have the potential to encourage action in situations that may otherwise lead to despair. The stories may provide an imaginal connection with those who have […]

There is a long spiritual and civic history to the practice of nonviolence, or the use of peaceful means to bring about social, political, or desired change. This is usually built upon a belief in moral or religious principles of not causing harm. Nonviolence can also be a strategy for achieving goals, which ‘ennobles’ the one who uses it, as […]

All the world’s sacred wisdom traditions have stories of a desired or destined future in which all things basically better than in the present. Do you have a vision of your own desired future, or of the collective future you envision for the world? What is your vision of your future and/or our shared future? Dream, try on possibilities you […]

As we tell the stories of our lives that matter most to us, we come to know ourselves more deeply, we sense a connection to more things around us, we feel more empathic toward all things, and we take on a greater responsibility to contribute to the betterment of the whole. With your deeper understanding of the world we are […]

Peace is a timeless and universal vision; yet it has many definitions and understandings. One way to see peace is all the ways it can be imagined. Peace is a quality within us as well as a condition all around us. Peace is every step of the journey we take as well as our destination. Small groups or communities, even […]

Recovery is an essential component of the process of transformation. Any transformational experience wouldn’t be complete without some form of recovery. The degree, or the depth, of recovery can range considerably depending upon what one is recovering from. Recovery is usually a deeply personal journey, a unique process of discovering and developing new meaning and purpose in one’s life, that […]

Usually after we’ve had a call to adventure, after we’ve experienced assistance when we didn’t expect it, after we’ve been challenged in ways we never had been before, after we’ve taken time to withdraw from everything, had greater challenges, received further assistance, and been tested in some way, then we may be in a position to experience renewal and rebirth. […]

Resilience is another quality of the human spirit we are born with that is meant to help us deal with and spring back from a whole range of difficulties in a manner that enables us to resolve matters in an efficient and effective way, more quickly than we would be able to without it. Adversity and resilience are intertwined, in […]

There is a time in our lives when we just feel like we want to get away from everything around us. It may be from feeling overwhelmed or even from feeling grateful for what we have been given. When we do feel like we want to withdraw from everything, bring things to a halt for a while, or turn inward […]

Whether we think about it or not, we all have a deep regard, respect, or reverence for something, whatever it might be. How could we not? Reverence can take the form of a feeling, attitude, emotion, or even virtue, that calls forth a humbling response to something beyond us commanding our focus or engagement. This could be toward anything in […]

Stewardship is first and foremost an ethic that embodies the responsible planning and management of resources, such as the environment and nature, the economy, health, property, information, theology, and cultural resources. Any of these could be within the family household, community, nation, or the world as a whole. On whatever level, stewardship is a commitment to safeguard the valuables of […]

When events or circumstances happen by seeming chance, or serendipitously, that are meaningfully related but seem to lack a clear causal connection, this is synchronicity. These appear as coincidences but can be very significant to our development. They can be seen as serving the function of grace in our lives. Experiences of synchronicity happen when we most need them. They […]

When two or more entities, individuals, groups, or organizations come together either in a planned or unplanned way to interact or cooperate in ways that produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects, for the purpose of a common cause, this is synergy in action. It always involves some form of collaboration, teamwork, partnership, or co-creation […]

We’ve probably all had a time in our lives when we felt we have been transformed in some vital way that lead us in a whole new direction or made that direction much clearer than it had been before. Maybe this has even happened more than once. Reflect on these times in your life, then focus on your most important […]

There are times in our lives when we feel, or we know, that we are between things, when we have left one thing behind but have not yet gotten to the new thing or place we are moving toward. This time of limbo is known in traditional rites of passage as a liminal period, the beginning of a process taking […]

There have always been people who step out of the shadows of confusion and deception to shine a light on a truth that is being overlooked, ignored, or hidden. These are always courageous citizens who address head-on the issues of social, economic, and environmental justice and fairness. They act for the common good, for the betterment of communities, and for […]

Unity in diversity is not just a slogan or buzzword. It’s a way of explaining the principle of the oneness of humanity. It honors all the natural and unique forms of differences that exist within the human family, from every ethnic group to each individual temperament. Diversity in the cultural and personal realms is just as vital and essential to […]

Beyond the illusion of separation lies a hidden wholeness. The entire universe, all of creation, is tied together, interconnected by the same laws of nature that govern all things. This one reality is an indivisible wholeness, though we tend to break it down into pieces. When we see the whole as it is, it becomes a grand unity representing the […]

The world is becoming an interconnected community of commonalities; the potentialities of this globalization process need harnessing to ensure the continued betterment and advancement of civilization. As our evolution has gradually woven people into larger and richer webs of interdependence, humanity is approaching its coming of age. Out of necessity for our collective survival, the transformation humanity is currently undergoing […]