“Anthony should be doing much more than what he is. He wastes too much time talking and playing?” This message is from a school report card when I was around 6 years old in 1st grade at Lyman Hall Elementary School in Gainesville Georgia. She knew me well from the start as someone who likes to talk and tell stories. Not much has changed in the past 40+ years. I still like to talk and tell stories. But sometimes it is important to stop and ask WAIT, why am I talking? Another reminder of my early passion for talking and telling stories was when in 6th grade I got my only paddling in school, which was for….you guessed it, talking when I was told to be quiet. The teacher told us all to be quiet, but I was in the middle of a story with my friend and just had to finish that story. I was talking instead of listening and being quiet. It hurt my pride more than anything else to get paddled. First lesson learned there about the importance of knowing when to ask WAIT, why am I talking? Now, many years later, I still love to talk and tell stories, why else would I be writing this blog? But there comes a time when we all need to ask ourselves, why am I talking? The title of my blog is Your Story Matters, and that is essential to why I write. I share my stories so that it may inspire others to consider their own stories and find their inner motivation, resilience, creativity, curiosity, and adaptability to assist them with navigating transformation and challenges in their personal and professional lives.
Learning and embracing when it is time for me to stop talking and listen is valuable and relevant to me now because I’m currently in a graduate program for Leadership and Organizational Development with a concentration in Executive and Professional Coaching. And in this program with my coaching practice, I’m taught to minimize talking, practice more actively listening, ask powerful questions, and embrace the power of the pause. The acronyms we reference in my coaching training are “WAIT” Why Am I Talking? And my favorite, that would have definitely saved me from that paddling in 6th grade, “WAIST” Why Am I Still Talking? It is important to actively listen more than talk and tell stories to be a more effective coach for my clients.
Reflecting on your own stories, how do you know when it is time for you to stop and ask WAIT, why am I talking? Our personal stories matter because they give us personal insights for how we communicate and where we can make improvements. Sometimes it is important for us to talk and other times for us to stop talking and actively listen to ourselves as well as to others around us. And for me, I ask myself this question, WAIST, why am I still talking? Watch for some upcoming opportunities for your turn to talk and share stories. Now, I’m listening. It is your turn to talk because Your Story Matters too.
