We tell stories, even when they’re difficult or painful.
This week our family at Steven James has been reminded that with great storytelling comes the need for active listening. And right now, there are voices all across the country who don’t feel heard.
It’s important to us as a company, as people really, to recommit to being better listeners. It is only through that purposeful and meaningful discovery of other voices that true connection to one another is made.
In these last couple of months, you’ve been on a journey with us, trying to find stories of hope and inspiration to overcome the anger and frustration of being quarantined, isolated by a public health crisis that’s upended just about every facet of our daily lives. And here we are at a considerable distance down that journey, finding signs of normalcy, when we’re suddenly confronted by another national crisis.
Fortunately, we believe that we might very well have already found a way to ease this pain, or at least start to do so. While stories of inequality, of injustice, of protest and demanding action are regrettably not new, our way of living and communicating is. We’ve been doing a lot more listening, to the news, to our coworkers on virtual gatherings, and to our friends seeking a compassionate ear. In that very important act, we’ve found new ways to engage with one another, learn from one another, and exist with one another in a changed world.
When we sign-off in messages to you with ‘Your story is our story’, it’s not meant as a clever throw-away or a cute play-on-words. It’s meant to reinforce that listening has immeasurable value, especially when our stories are interconnected, celebrating common cause, sharing inspiration, or even when they’re difficult to hear.
Remember, your story is our story.
