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Everyone has a story, yet not everyone embraces their individual chapters.
Why is that?
Maybe it’s because we fear what others might think. Perhaps it’s an embarrassment you’d rather forget.
For every mistake, great or small, there is a lesson learned, and if that’s the case, why not own all our chapters, good and bad?
We discussed the notion of owning your story on the latest episode of the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut.
We spoke with author, speaker, and coach, Michael Fabber.
He shared his journey of owning his story and explained how he’s helping others do the same.
One Belief has the Power to Shape Us
As a child, Michael believed himself to be stupid.
His experiences in childhood only served to cement his opinion.
In elementary school, he failed third grade, and in fifth grade, he went to third-grade classrooms for remedial reading instruction.
“While I was trying to put a word together, my class was trying to put a sentence together.”
While these experiences are true, there were valid reasons for them.
Michael was born deaf, couldn’t hear until he was three, and didn’t start speaking until five.
Knowing this, it only makes sense that he would have some catching up to do, as language and development play vital roles in learning.
It’s the perfect reminder of how our beliefs can shape our perspectives on a situation.
It’s Hard to Lead When You Feel Like a Victim
At the age of ten, Michael would lose his brother to suicide.
Growing up in a military family, he had to show strength, which wasn’t always conducive to grieving.
“Instead of feeling hurt, I felt angry.”
On top of that, as a teenager, he lost his friend and his father, which only compounded his feelings.
At the age of twenty, he was facing possible jail time, had a baby on the way, and had been shot at all in one week.
He knew he had to make a change.
A False Identity
Rather than dealing with his pain, he directed it in a more positive direction. Michael threw himself into the identity of being an entrepreneur.
He started a few local businesses and made good money, but he describes it as a fake reality.
“I was hitting fake golf balls in my yard, wearing velour jumpsuits, and looked like a joke, but didn’t know it.”
His new life would take a dramatic turn when he heard the news that his best friend took his own life.
It led to a downward spiral into drug abuse and eventually contemplating suicide, but his daughter brought him out of the hole.
Owning My Story
He spent some time hitchhiking across the United States, eventually ending in Mobile, Alabama.
It was there that he was reborn.
He recalls being in the Mobile Inn and thinking about something a basketball coach once asked him.
“Has anyone ever breathed easier because you existed?”
At the time, he was embarrassed that he didn’t know the answer.
He realized then that he needed to change.
“I spent my first twenty years as the villain. For the next ten years, he was the victim. Now it was time to be the hero of his own story.”
He decided to find a way to impact others, which led to becoming an author and life coach.
In 2011, he started his coaching business for corporate clients, individuals and groups, and schools. His goal has continued to be the same, to help impact the lives of others.
He also published his first book Your Story, which helps inspire others to embrace their stories and change their lives.
Looking for More Inspiration?
If you’re looking to change your life, Michael is here to tell you “it’s possible.”
For more information about how Michael can help you embrace your journey and reclaim your story, please visit his website.
For more great interviews about business, entrepreneurship, and more, please follow the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut.