“Just when the caterpillar thought “I am incapable of moving,” it became a butterfly.”

“Appreciate the lessons of the past and enjoy the newness of the future, yet remember the present is today.”

“The storm never lasts forever and there is sunshine on the other side.”

“I'm a good enough person to forgive you, and you should be a good enough person to not do it again.”

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly.”

“Mamma says if we stay so focused on our past failings, we won't be able to move beyond them and learn what we need to know.”

“In order to tell you a story about who I am and why I am here, I must spend a little time asking myself...questions. This is usually done at a superficial level as quickly as possible."The self-diagnostic process that finds meaningful stories scares the hell out of people who aren't sure they are living meaningful lives. Once they reflect, most people do find that their lives are plenty meaningful (if a little out of balance). However, the process of self-examination tests your faith that your organization and your group are basically good people with good intentions. Groups that avoid deep examination seem to be anxious that honest self-examination might expose hypocrisy or emptiness. I've found that anxiety to be overstated in most cases."First attempts at group stories are often highly aspirational in that the story is more about who we wished we were, rather than who we are. Stories that aspire to more than we can back up risk sounding hypocritical."When our stories are sought and found from the subjective statement that "I have a lot to learn from other people", they invite difference...Gathering stories teaches you how to get outside your own experiences and experience life as others might.”