I’m realizing I talk a lot about stories. The only nonfiction is the past. The future is up to us. I don’t mean 100 years from now. I’m talking about the next hour, this afternoon. What’s that story going to read like?  Is it a love story? an adventure? Will it be sad?

Stories are so powerful that I believe we should know a little about them. Maybe you noticed that there are only so many plots available? We experience the same stories over and over in slightly different ways. I heard once that the movie Aliens was pitched as Jaws in space. I like to remind myself of this when I think of my own story.  I don’t have to worry about it being too wildly different from others. We all live in a similar struggle. I know you can see a big difference in money or health or age, but when it comes down to acceptance, love, longing, a sense of purpose, we are all alike. I’ve met plenty of people I consider wealthy that can’t buy peace or friendship.

Characters are important in a story. I know no matter what the circumstances a good character will behave in predictable ways. My daughter is reading about Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross. I didn’t even recognize the name before my daughter introduced me to her. Clara Barton sounds like a true hero to me. She was a badass on a mission. She went toward trouble because she knew help was needed.  Her character is going to behave the same no matter if bullets are flying by or not. You and I are more of a character than we are someone who can control the storyline. I mean we can behave in predictable ways no matter what’s happening around us.

What type of character are you? What type of character do you want to be? Peter Drucker’s 5 questions are always on my mind, especially the first one: “What do you want to be remembered for?”  Can you answer that question? Drucker says we should ask the question every 6 months. To be fair, he was talking about companies, but I think it works well for people too.  I’ve tried to answer the question often. I want to be remembered as the guy who led people through the valley. The second question is right behind the first. The second question is,  “Remembered by who?” Who do you want to be remembered by? In business, this is your client. With people, I think this is my loved ones. The ones I care for. Others might remember me the way I want to be remembered also, but that’s not who I’m focused on. If I am a hero in my story and in the journey l lose my family, then what was it for?

Maybe my story doesn't look that exciting from the outside. If I worry about how it looks to strangers, I’m losing sight of who I want to be remembered by. The questions are powerful.  Remember a song from the 80s, maybe early 90s, that said something like, “You’re the type of guy that says my lower back is killing me.”  I still laugh when I think about it. Sometimes I’m that guy too, but I don’t want to be. For my story to work, I need to be the type of guy that’s willing to lose for what he believes in. I’m the type of guy that makes the choice to love no matter what. I’m the type of guy that listens and questions what it is I believe I know. In short, I give a shit.

What do you give a shit about? Keep the list short and know what’s on it. Best of luck.