What's Your Story?

By: Tim Shriver

I was watching the NFL yesterday and noticed the many causes that players were celebrating with their cleats.  I saw the American Cancer Society, and yes Special Olympics, and many others.  

And then I noticed the messages on many players’ helmets including “Stop Hate” and “Choose Love.”  

It reminded me that each of those players has a story—maybe a heartbreaking loss, maybe a heart healing organization, maybe a family connection, maybe a dream.

And it occurred to me that in the midst of watching the games, we largely miss the deeper stories that each of the players is trying to tell.

I’m afraid we miss the real stories more often than we think.

That’s why it’s so important to seek out and celebrate the stories that remind us of what truly matters.

There’s no one better than Steve Hartman at refreshing my belief in humanity with his amazing stories.  I had the great privilege of talking with Steve on my podcast, “Need A Lift?” where I learned how he’s been able to be a world class journalist for almost three decades by relentlessly looking for great stories of authentic dignity, authentic bravery, authentic caring, and authentic human goodness.  (Listen to the episode here)

There’s nothing about Steve’s reporting that is sappy or predictable—he's first and foremost a great journalist. But he uses his skills to find the tension, the plot, and the characters who are making things new without resorting to an obsession with fires and crashes and fights.  

His stories inspire and challenge and surprise.  

And most importantly, they remind us that each of us can be good—very good.

I got my own taste of the good among us over the last two weeks. I was privileged to be in Abu Dhabi last week where Special Olympics athletes and health and education leaders were meeting to chart the future of inclusion.

Dina Galal, an athlete from Egypt, was there giving speech after speech about how to change your life the way she changed hers: “I tried even when others told me not to. And now I am a champion and trying changed my life!!” 

And just last night, I was with three previous directors of the U.S. Peace Corps – Jody Olsen, Aaron Williams, and Carrie Hessler-Radelet – each telling stories of justice and hope and decades-old friendships borne of service.  

Their refrain could have been similar to Dina’s: get in the game. It will change your life. 

As the holiday season continues and we prepare to celebrate ancient feasts of light and faith and triumph like Hanukkah and Christmas, I encourage you to listen to Steve Hartman.  

And even more importantly, I encourage you to listen to those closest to you.

I’m guessing that there’s a miracle story in your life right now—a child learning to grow, a friend learning to take a chance on love again, a family member waiting to be heard, a loss that has awakened a hunger beyond all description, a champion within you who can't wait to get out.  

Please, tell these stories. We’re all longing to hear them! 

And if you’re watching the NFL, enjoy the action on the field. But check out the helmets and the cleats too. That may well be where the most dramatic stories of all are waiting to be told.

Tim

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If you could help ease the division in America, would you do it?

Our disagreements aren’t causing the divisions in our country; it’s what we do when we disagree.

Do we treat the other side with dignity, or do we treat them with contempt?

The first brings us together; the second drives us apart.

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Giving Tuesday

The Dignity Index invites you to help spread dignity far and wide. Your support fuels our mission to replace contempt with respect and division with understanding.

Join us this Giving Tuesday to make dignity the foundation for how we connect, communicate, and solve problems together.

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