Original

Our individual stories -- yours and mine -- are not the same. I'm sure you're absolutely thunderstruck by that observation. You're probably really glad right now that you're not paying a subscription fee for my site, right? But bear with me for a minute and let me explain.

As a person of faith, I believe that the Christian surrenders not only his sin to Christ but also his right to self. That surrender allows the Spirit to work in and through the life of the disciple. The result is that, as the student begins to resemble his Master in character and attitude, so also that transformation works itself out through the student's individual personality, aptitude, and abilities. 

This whole transformation applies to one's spiritual, personal, and professional growth. But the way that my life "works out" and your life "works out" will be entirely different. I should not expect that your experience will be the same as mine, and you should not expect that my experience will be the same as yours.

Oswald Chambers says it like this:

Never make a principle out of your experience; 

let God be as original with other people as He is with you.

 - Getting There, My Utmost for His Highest - 

Let me put this in a different perspective. I think this principle applies also to the experiences we have in business. Your story is your story -- and mine is mine. It's this originality that defines us and sets us apart from each other. What we do, what we make, the kind of service we provide -- it all looks a little different from person to person and business to business. But the fact that we each have unique stories to tell is what makes life and work so interesting!

The story is worth telling.