A friend I hadn’t seen in some time was visiting my home recently. As I walked through the front door after a long day at work to greet her, I dropped my (somewhat rugged) bag on the floor beside a chair to turn my full attention to her.

Surprised by the gasp that escaped her lips, I asked what was wrong. “We never leave our bags on the floor,” she said. “Tradition says it will cause you to lose money.”

I found that pretty interesting, as my family tradition taught that it is rude to place a handbag on the table or counter, so I put it on the  floor out of the way of foot traffic (I suppose I could have put it on the chair, but I have a small scruffy mutt that keeps my floors spotless).

After having a good chuckle at ourselves, we continued our greetings and I didn’t think too much about it until the next day.

Our encounter was such a clear example of how inculcated we are with stories, and how we internalize those stories about who we are and what we should do. Some of these stories make sense upon exploration, and others remain a mystery. Sometimes these stories serve us, and other times they have the potential to hold us back or even harm us.

We surround ourselves with so many stories that sometimes it takes years to get to the essence of who really are. Some of that work has to be done on our own, but some of it can be expedited by a friendly guide. One of the reasons Nitoris Vox was founded is to help incredible people tell their stories with clarity and ease.

We’re all mired in a world of stories, so we might as well make ours amazing.