Here’s a story you can probably relate to.
You are walking down the street when a friend, coming the other way, stops, looks you in the eye, and asks “Whassup?” It’s a question you’ve heard a thousand times before — the default, open-ended salutation. Your choices are many. You can answer any way you want, from the predictable “Fine, whassup with you?” to an elaborate monologue on any number of topics: the weather, your vacation plans, the economy, the latest terrorist attack, local politics, your job, and the latest viral video.
In that moment, there is no correct answer. You get to decide what story to tell. What you don’t get to decide is the impact your story will have. That’s up to the listener. But know this: your story will have impact. Everything you say, everything you do has impact, even a seemingly casual moment of passing a friend on the street.
