The hardcore nature of stories: significance

One of the indelible lessons I picked up from my training as a narrative therapist is that words are important. If words are signifiers (that is, they give meaning) then the very same words represent a gateway through which we catch a glimpse of how a person views themselves, the world around them: their reality.

And so, the stories we tell about ourselves and the experiences we have in this world are significant ... more significant than you can imagine: they are the gateways into understanding reality and the way things are.

It is this "significance" of stories that I believe is what underlies the inspiration, motivation, connection and insight we gain from hearing the stories of other people.