What's Your Story?

Last month MEAPA published a new book titled Using Stories to Ask Questions: A Practical Guide to Thinking about Achieving Your Dreams. We used a story format to highlight key attributes that lead to success, followed by some questions for the reader to consider about themselves. The stories in this volume were about well-known people. Now we would like to hear from you. What's your story?

Volume 2 of Stories will focus on everyday people who have demonstrated an ability to think effectively, take action and achieve growth. If you would like to nominate someone or even yourself, please abide by the following recommended guidelines:

• We are interested in stories involving the achievement of a goal or overcoming a large barrier in your life.  What is your story?
  
  • Did you start your own company or non-profit organization?
  • Did you overcome a limiting childhood?
  • Did you achieve a dream that others thought was impossible?
  • Did you create something new?
  • Did you develop a new skill?
• Remember, it is important that you overcame obstacles along the way that really highlight your perseverance, determination, commitment, and drive.
  • What barriers did you face?
  • Why were these barriers so overwhelming?
  • What did you think about these barriers?
  • How did your thinking about these barriers change over time?
  • What did other people think about what you were trying to do?
• Describe how you had to think effectively and take action so you could achieve a goal.
  • What was involved?
  • What were you thinking before you started?
  • How did your thoughts drive your action?
  • How did you develop the thought that you could achieve your goal?
  • What steps did you take?
• What lessons did you learn from your entire experience - and more importantly what lessons can your experience teach others?

MEAPA is going to select the best stories to include in its next book, those that clearly show the relationship of effective thinking combined with action to achieve results. MEAPA will synthesize the lessons from these stories to highlight overall learnings for our readers.

Please cut and paste the following paragraph onto all submissions. You will be contacted via email if your story is selected and/or if follow-up information is needed.

All submissions are due by 5:00pm EST on March 20, 2010.

Please download the permission form below to submit your story.