e all remember being a young child and asking, “Can you tell me a story?”
Whether it was your mom or dad, grandparent, babysitter, or another special someone, those stories were magical. They were filled with mythical creatures from far-off lands, knights, fairies, sometimes monsters, but each of these stories had a central figure who faced the worst while giving their best. Time and again we fell in love with the ‘hero’, the archetype who inspired us, gave us hope, made us laugh. A hero makes us want to be better, do better, for ourselves and the people around us.
At Steven James, we tell stories. In the last couple of weeks, our team was reminded that heroes aren’t fictional, they’re not few-and-far-between, they’re all around us trying to make their small piece of the world a better place, and if we listen closely enough, they have an amazing story to tell.
We have a hero on our team, one we’re lucky enough to call family. Our content chief, Paul Root, is the best at peeling back the top layers, exposing the raw truth beneath the surface, finding the story, and granting it true, authentic voice. In the course of a casual conversation recently with total strangers going about their daily lives, Paul uncovered the story of a Lost Boy orphaned in the Sudan, and he spoke to a young woman who, as a little girl, was separated from her parents in Cuba for 9 years until they found their way back together.
What, to a casual observer, would have seemed like two unassuming people carrying on about their day were powerful voices waiting to share their stories. Heroes are all around us, not because they’re a knight slaying a dragon in a far-off land, but because they face their worst and yet still give their best.
We’re privileged to tell stories at Steven James, stories of the heroes all around us every single day. And because of that we want you to tell us about your hero. Venture outside the comfort zone or engage with someone you think you know already.
Odds are they have a story you know nothing about. And we ask you to really listen…do the ‘Paul Root’ and peel back the layers, unearth the raw truth, find the magic, discover the story. We bet you’ll find a hero where you didn’t expect.
Tell that person ‘thank you’ for making you want to be better, to do better. Then let us know what you discovered because in giving these stories voice, your story is our story.
