Learning to Trust

This is the script and the story map for my video - Learning to Trust. The video is the story of a fictitious speaker sharing how she learned to trust after divorce. I will use this video in my training materials as an example of writing a story that will be delivered inside of a motivational speech.

I run a non-profit organization and I train successful single moms (current and former) to tell their story to empower others. I created a story-writing outline to teach my speakers how to create their story within their speech and built a multi-media training program around it, based on information I learned in this course. Earlier this month, my speakers utilized my training videos. They downloaded the information and wrote their speeches. They each delivered their speech in front of 30 participants who are single moms living in a domestic abuse shelter. I was thrilled that i didn't have to do much individual coaching. They were able to follow the training instructions and get such great results!

I will post some of the video footage of the workshops and post one of the completed worksheets of a speaker who did quite well.  The feedback from the participants and the staff was phenomonal.  Thank you Jason, Thank you Fielding!  I am living my dream!
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Script:

At one time in my life, I would never have believed I’d be able to identify with the idea of trust being liberating. It seemed that trust continued to keep me going down the path of confinement and imprisonment... You see, 3 years ago, I was happily married, or so it seemed.

One day, I woke up and the sky was blue, the birds were singing and everything seemed like my normal paradise. But things were NOT the same.

This was the day that my husband decided he was leaving. Leaving me. Leaving us. Leaving the past we had created. Leaving the dreams we had planned to create.

He no longer loved me. He was unhappy. He wanted out.

The sky was still blue. The birds were still singing. Didn’t they know that paradise had just shattered? I felt alone, confused, angry and betrayed.

Because of that moment, my life changed forever. I stopped trusting what people said. I started to doubt myself. I couldn’t stop playing the movie, in-my-head, of our 20 years together, wondering what went wrong. I became obsessed. All I could think about was, “Why me?”

Because of this obsession, I started attending personal development workshops and reading personal development books, to get other people’s take on my situation. They had no answers for me.

So I continued to spiral into deeper confusion until I hit rock bottom. I wasn’t doing drugs, or anything that would appear to be self-destructive, but I was not honoring myself. I was not celebrating who I really was, without being attached to “my man”. I got sick of looking at the pitiful person in the mirror.

Because I realized that I needed to pull myself up, out of the quagmire of disgusting pity, but because it was too heavy to do alone, I reached out. I went through more personal development programs, but this time to work on myself, not on my situation.

When I started to focus on my own growth, my life started to expand. I attracted more people who cared about the things I cared about and who shared my values. I asked myself, “is it worth it to think small and live small by staying in anger and distrust?” The results of my action made me sure that the answer was “no”. “Was it worth it to take a chance on myself, and grow in my relationships?” “Did I deserve to trust myself and others?”  The answer, to these questions, was “yes”. So I committed to forgive myself for trusting the wrong people in the past, and to trust I’d make better decisions in the future.

I hope that you too, will take the journey down the road of self-trust. As you can see by my story, I learned that when you trust yourself, you expand your life. I hope my speech has motivated you to ask YOURSELF if you deserve to have an expanded life. Ask yourself the questions that I shared.

“I would like us to empower one another at this time. Please stand and repeat after me…”

Trust:  I know that each person I connect with intends the highest good for all. We are all in this together.

Story board:

Content:	Media
It seemed that trust continued to keep me going down the path of confinement and imprisonment... You see, 3 years ago, I was happily married, or so it seemed.	Photos of Shari behind bars Image of happily married couple, then it breaks in two and dissolves
One day, I woke up and the sky was blue, the birds were singing and everything seemed like my normal paradise.	Picture of bird singing, picture of palm trees
I felt alone, confused, angry and betrayed.	Picture of Shari looking angry with rain cloud over her head
I became obsessed.	"Why Me?"  graphic
I started attending personal development workshops and reading personal development books, to get other people’s take on my situation.	Picture of self-help books, Picture of Shari looking confused
I hit rock bottom.	Picture of someone lying destitute in an alley. Animate it so it spirals into the frame.
I went through more personal development programs, but this time to work on myself, not on my situation.	Music that sounds ethereal.
I attracted more people who cared about the things I cared about and who shared my values.	Have a list of Shari’s values float into the screen.
the answer was “no”.	Animate  “No”
“Was it worth it to take a chance on myself, and grow in my relationships?” “Did I deserve to trust myself and others?”	Have the questions come in from different directions
The answer, to these questions, was “yes”	Animate “yes” so it grows and is multiple colors Add triumphant music
So I committed to forgive myself for trusting the wrong people in the past, and to trust I’d make better decisions in the future.	Alternate the words, forgive and Trust so it looks like a flashing light.
I learned that when you trust yourself, you expand your life.	“Trust can be so liberating.” Dr. Neen (put the life lesson on slide and have it expand)
I hope my speech has motivated you to ask YOURSELF if you deserve to have an expanded life.	Picture of Shari with prison bars dissolving. Put a flower or something pretty under her chin.
“I would like us to empower one another at this time. Please stand and repeat after me…”	Trust:  I know that each person I connect with intends the highest good for all. We are all in this together.

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Story Map
I created my own Story Map process. I created an instructional video for completion of this worksheet. This is what the successful single mom speakers used to create their speeches delivered at the shelter earlier this month.

Dr. Neen’s 7-Part Story Worksheet

Backstory:

Goal:

Conflict:

Aha Moment:

Action:

Result:

Life Lesson:

Dr. Neen’s 7-Part Story Worksheet - Shari's Example

Backstory:

“At one time in my life, I would never have believed I’d be able to identify with the idea of trust being liberating. It seemed it continued to keep me going down the path of confinement and imprisonment...

You see, 3 years ago, I was happily married, or so it seemed…(her story goes into detail here)

Goal:

·        I want them to take the journey down the road of self-trust.

·        I want them to ask themselves if they deserve to have an expanded life.

·        I want them to believe “YOU have the power to turn fear into trust.”

Conflict:

·        I started to doubt myself

·        I became obsessed with reviewing what went wrong in my relationship

·        I kept pitying myself

·        I kept searching for other people’s opinion of my situation

·        I was not honoring my definition of self

Aha Moment:

·        I looked in the mirror and was sick of the pity party

·        I realized I had to trust myself again

·        I realized I needed support to keep focused on my goal of remembering who I was

Action:

·        Attended personal development programs to work on myself, not on my situation

·        Maintained consistent commitment

·        Created a support system

Result:

·        When I started to focus on my own growth, my life started to expand

·        I attracted more people who cared about the things I cared about and who shared my values. 

·        I learned that when you trust yourself, you expand your life.

So as you can see by my story, I learned that when you trust yourself, you expand your life. I hope my speech has motivated you to ask YOURSELF if you deserve to have an expanded life. Ask yourself the questions that I shared.

Life Lesson:

Shari went through a very bad divorce. She has had to re-learn how to trust people. She resonates with the life lesson Trust.

The statement from the w.o.w. on trust is impactful to her. It is “Trust can be so liberating.”