Is the work you do in the world somehow tied to your own story? Was there a time when you experienced a really dark time in your life or business and things were looking pretty bleak, but somehow you got through it?
This is the basis for your “origin” story.
We all struggle, we all experience life’s highs and depths. As a speaker, when you authentically relate aspects of when you had to find the way out of a bad situation this taps the “power of vulnerability,” which TED speaker Brene Brown so powerfully promotes.
So, if the story is about you then you’re the “hero” – the protagonist of the story. The word “protagonist” is from the ancient Greek meaning “player of the first part” – that is, the main character.
For any story to be, well a story, there must be dramatic tension. So, you want to identify the opposing force or forces and that is the “antagonist” meaning person (or I would also suggest situation or belief) which opposes or is hostile to the main character.
It’s the tension between the protagonist and the antagonist which keeps audiences fully engaged, and when done right, even rooting for the hero. Don’t you want your audiences cheering you on?