corporate executive

Description

http://ruthsherman.com I'm a big proponent of storytelling, in particular, the personal story. Everyone - ev. ry. one. has struggles they have had to overcome or continue to work on. These are the elements of life that connect us with the rest of the human race. So I was particularly moved reading the New York Times Op-Ed by Angelina Jolie, who described her decision to have a double mastectomy to prevent what she believes was an overwhelming chance of dying from breast cancer. Think about it - this is a woman, a movie star, whose entire celebrity has been built around her beauty and glamour. Her public persona has always been somewhat distant, too. We never felt like we knew her. She was kind of above it all. She's been the object of jokes ranging from her choices in movies to her choices in motherhood to, frankly, her looks. But, can I tell you, I've always admired her for a lot of reasons... she's always seemed like her own woman, not caring too much about what the public thinks. I also think she's quite talented, though I have questioned her choices in her films, thinking she should and could be doing movies that stretch her much more. After reading the op-ed, though, I realized she might be making these choices in movies because they serve her family life better. They're expedient - not too much heavy lifting. A glamourous and young movie star who removes her breasts in the hopes she will remain alive for her children speaks volumes about who she really is and lets us in in a way very few in that town or profession do. Not to mention any town or profession. The other element of her story is that she told it without an ounce of self-pity. It seems her goal was to share so other women in a similar position would take action. Wow. This concept of tearing down the walls, or TDTW is like the strongest magnet. Opening up to people, letting them in, allows them to know you. Maybe you have a story like Angelina Jolie's, maybe not. Maybe you're not quite ready to share your entire story with the world, but you might be ready to share pieces of it, again, without it bringing you to tears or self-pity. These are the stories of life. I encourage you to mine your life for stories. Whether you're a corporate executive or a business owner, these truly are the stories that make us human and, most importantly, connect us with the rest of the human race.