Your Life Story – Soulfully Connecting

“Our Life stories are at one and the same time part reality, part fallacy and part fantasy” – Rasheed Ogunlaru, Coach – Speaker – Author

Your life story is at one and the same time part reality, part fallacy and part fantasy. What exactly do I mean by that? How can it be that your life – and every other adult’s life for that matter – is all these things at the same time?

Well once we are out of infancy – and certainly by the time we are into young adulthood onward – the following tends to be the case about your life story and how you think about it, relate to it and represent it:

Part reality: The events in your life are true. A certain sequence of events have happened in your life that create the backbone of your life story.

Part fallacy: And it is a big part fallacy. The narrative that you have been told and that you tell is just one narrative. It is a perspective. They are a few perspectives. They will invariably be coloured by the lens, perspective, awareness and viewpoint of those who have told you that story – and your own. We tend to then embrace, reject, condense and assimilate these stories into the story that we tell and the narrative that we tell ourselves. In other words it is part truth, not the whole truth and not nothing but the truth.

Part fantasy: We project, re-present, dress up , expand and sometimes we go even beyond that. We dress up our story. Individuals do this, organisations and businesses do this. It happens all the time. From tales told in the playground to the promises that a product will give you lasting allure, appeal and happiness….and pretty much everything in between.

This is just the nature of how life tends to pan out once we find ourselves in form, in this material world, as soon as we are taught language. Very often we are aware of this but sometimes we forget it. You may well be stuck in a very limited narrative of who you are and what you should become. This is a very common scenario in which you think the person you are is not good enough and you think that the person you could or should be (or other people) are better.

Once one becomes aware of our stories and the narrative and noise one can begin to let go of the story as it has been. You’re able to look at it with refreshed eyes and deeper insight. You are then far more free from your story. You can start to see it’s limitations and some of it’s benefits (if it’s been well put together). Once you then start to go on a journey from ‘head to heart’ as I so often put it, then you become able to tell a far more authentic, compelling story. There will always be a fair amount of ‘story’ for many of the reasons above, but those who meet and know you will experience you and it far more authentically.

…And guess what, it’s this authenticity, personally, in relationships, at home, at work, in business, in politics, in music, in the media, in the arts, in all walks of life and in society at large – that you are so desperate for.

Rasheed Ogunlaru is an acclaimed life, business and corporate coach whose simple ‘become who you are’ approach has helped countless business owners connect with themselves, their businesses and their customers. His background spans over 20 years in coaching, training, media, PR and performance. Rasheed is the business coach partner to the British Library’s Business and IP Centre and business coach mentor to TiE UK. He is a highly sought-after public speaker and regularly appears in the media, including the BBC, The Times and the Guardian.

He is the author of ‘The Gift of Inner Success’ and ‘Soul Trader – Putting the heart back into your business.’ or Amazon

For information about coaching, motivational talks, or to order one of his inspiring books, CDs and MP3s visit his website or email him

Twitter – @RasheedOgunlaru

or call 020 7207 1082