Sometimes you need to say the quiet thing out loud

I watch the train coming, and I think about jumping. 

I look at the train tracks, and I wonder what would happen if I did? 

My friend Emily walks up to me on the platform and asks,

“You’re thinking of jumping, right?”

“What?? No, of course not! Why would I do that?”

“Because everybody does?”

“What do you mean?”

“Everybody thinks about stuff like that. ‘What if I jumped in front of this train? What if I pulled this trigger? What if I threw myself off this huge building?’ We all have thoughts like that. It doesn’t mean we’d actually do it.”

“Really? I… I never realised. I thought it was just a strange thing I did sometimes.”

“Nah. You know Edgar Allan Poe, the writer?”

“Sure.”

“He has a short story about these weird impulses we get. It’s called The Imp of the Perverse.”

“Huh. And here I thought I was–“

“Special?”

“No. Weird. That there was something wrong with me.”

“Oh, there’s plenty wrong with you! Just not that.”

“Gee, thanks. Remind me, why are we friends again?”

“Because I'm amazing. So… are we getting on this train or what?”

Those four words again

Few things bring you closer to other humans than understanding that you are not alone. That they struggle with what you struggle, that your fears are their fears, and - yes - that your weird quirks are not yours alone. 

The essence of the most powerful storytelling is that it’s relatable. But that only works if you say the quiet thing out loud. That doesn’t mean you should bare your soul every time you tell a story (you shouldn't!), but the things that make you feel weird, that things you think you should be ashamed of, are almost certainly not only yours. 

That goes for personal issues as well as professional ones. Nobody is a complete original. Your freaks are out there to be found - and the best way is to fly that freak flag through the stories you tell. 

That’s how you connect with other people: not because they want to be like you, but because they realise they already are 🤘

-Francisco 

PS. I don’t want in any way to make light of depressive thoughts and suicidal ideation – these are real issues and should be taken seriously. That wasn’t what that story refers to or what I was going through. 

If that’s happening to you, or you have any doubts at all it might be, please speak to someone, there is help available. 

In the UK, you can call 111. 

In the US you can call or text 988. 

You are not alone. 

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Getting clarity through your story to stand out from all the other coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs out there 

2. If you dream of speaking on the Red Dot, take this Scorecard and instantly discover how likely your idea is to be accepted by a TED-style organizing committee

3. If you (or your team) got any storytelling challenges, I’m sure there’s something we can do together ;-)

Thanks for reading! Reply any time.