I recently went to the Storyline Conference in San Diego. The conference was presented by Donald Miller, author of the 2009 book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.

The book and the conference are based on the idea that every life is a story. But the big question to ask about your life and about your story  . . . .

Are you living your life in a way that your story is worth telling?

 

Your life is like a movie

In both the book and the conference, Miller explains that your life can be compared to a screenplay for a movie. The same elements that make a movie meaningful also would make a life meaningful. And often what we pursue in life aren’t things that would lead to a meaningful story. We look for possessions or status or vacations or whatever. They may be fun or useful but often they’re not meaningful.

He gives a great example in the opening two paragraphs of the book:

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell you friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you’d seen.  The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won’t make a story meaningful, it won’t make a life meaningful either.  Here’s what I mean by that:

Is your story meaningful?

So he asks, what are we doing with our lives? Are we telling a meaningful story? There’s nothing wrong with wanting a Volvo or any other possessions but if it’s the  central theme of our life then it won’t feel meaningful.

It’s a great framework to use when thinking about the direction of your life. If you’d like to explore the topic more I’d recommend the book as an introduction to Miller’s philosophy. If you’d like to see how this concept might help you in your own life, he has a workbook with exercises called Storyline 2.0. Also, there’s a website where he explains how to go through the Storyline process with a small group of other like-minded people.

Of course you can go to a conference where the same material is covered and you get the benefit of hearing various speakers in person. But conferences are only held a few times a year and you can at least get started with the book to see if the concept appeals to you.

What will the world miss if you don’t tell your story?

In the first 10 minutes of the conference, the following quote was projected on the screen in the auditorium:

What will the world miss if you don’t tell your story?

That question is the main focus of the conference. When you live in a way that tells a meaningful story then at the same time you are making a contribution to others. You’re providing something of value to the world. Something meaningful. But if you don’t tell a meaningful story then the contribution you could have made will be lost. And no one else can do it for you.

No where during the conference does anyone talk about what will make you happy or what will make you wealthy or what will make you famous or what will get you lots of stuff. But over and over we are asked to think about what will make our lives meaningful.

And that’s the best question to ask.

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