“My story is boring” Excuse Debunked!

Some people think their story isn’t “remarkable enough” or interesting enough to warrant sharing or documenting — even for their closest loved ones. It’s the “my story is boring” excuse. For some, it is a sort of knee-jerk reaction.

Maybe they honestly believe their life is boring. Maybe they’re just being modest. There are a lot of different underlying reasons that result in some variation of the “boring story” excuse (self-esteem, fear of rejection, humility, cultural norms to name a few). None of these reasons should preclude anyone from sharing their story. But, let me cut to the chase here: even if by some universal objective measure your story is officially classified as Grade A Boring, it’s worth sharing because people will still want to know it!

People don’t want to know your story because it’s remarkable. People want to know your story because it’s YOURS. They already have a personal interest in you. They want to learn about you — even it if’s Grade A Boring. It’s you they care about. The details about you help others fill in the blanks, so they can better understand you and feel a stronger connection. Your story connects them to you. Whether it’s boring, mundane, shocking or kooky is incidental.

And, remember, we’re not trying to turn your Biographfilm into the next box office hit. We’re trying to give the people who care about you a broader window into who you are. (See: “No, You Don’t Have To Be A Celebrity”)

I would say my grandmother had a fairly boring life when I knew her. She cooked, tended to her garden, performed her daily prayers. But every trivial detail about her “boring life” still gives me joy to think about today. How she loved our sausage and black olive pizza on Friday nights. How she would have me drop Visine into her eyes…. All these countless little details that mean nothing to you are absolutely priceless to me.

Your story is priceless because you are infinitely valuable to them. Nothing can ever excuse that.