“We all have a story to tell”. While this is true, mostly “rich people” say that type of thing. Why is that? Because many underprivileged people do not believe that their story is worth telling. Can they be blamed? Absolutely not! Heck, most disadvantaged people are minorities, and we all know how we are underrepresented in movies and overrepresented in the TV news. Although they can not be blamed, we should encourage them to tell their story because it is 10 times more powerful than John Smith from Connecticut.
Let me take the example of a friend of mine. When he was 14, he was a real knucklehead. I mean the whole package. Acting dump to draw attention, always the first one to try a new stupid thing, and never cared about the consequences or anything. Out of nowhere, the guy is focused and disciplined. He trains like he is going to the Olympics. From an unhealthy skinny guy, he turns into a fit/muscular young man! He is preparing to join the French Foreign Legion, the best elite army in the world. I know, we all believe that the green beret or the navy seals are the best… Let me tell you this to close the discussion: Anyone can start the recruiting process, no questions asked. And when I say anyone, it is anyone… you come from an undisclosed country and do not want to talk about your past, come and stay 3 years, and you get a new name and the French passport. Yay, you get the vibe… people in the Legion may have a whole new level of motivation to be the best! Anyway, back to my friend. After several years he comes back. The guy is muscular, both physically and mentally. Nothing can stop him, I remember him saying, “Claude if people teach me from A to Z” I will learn anything. And he did! He became an aviation pilot, a real estate guy, a master sales guy. He can only imagine what else he will do in his lifetime! But even he had trouble telling his story initially. Coming out of his service, he did not know what to put on his CV. It shocked me, especially after I saw him shooting with RPG and tied to a rope dangling down a helicopter. I was like: “You know how to handle the pressure that nobody could even come close to imagine, you know the meaning of training to perfection as if your life depended on it, and you are a true team player, who literally would carry your teammate on your shoulders for hours if needed. My friend, you are extremely valuable”
This is why we need to change the narrative. Someone like him needs to tell his story from a place of power and get credit where credit is due. In the next few posts, we will explore how it can be done.
Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash
The Black Negotiator 