Not long ago, my wife and I were enjoying dinner at a good friend and neighbor’s home with America’s woman racing icon, Lyn St. James. Naturally, over the course of the evening, we began sharing racing memories. Rest most assuredly, Lyn has many amazing memories to share from her long list of endeavors and accomplishments. While recalling some of those memories this morning, I began realizing some of the best things about racing are sharing the many stories from our past, reliving the moments, as it were. Watching the eyes and facial expressions, along with waving hands and body language of the person sharing those tales, helps bring the excitement to life, and it is half the fun.
The best thing about sharing stories and memories is the ability to connect deeply with others by creating the sense of a shared experience, exuberance, and building strong bonds through the exchange of personal experiences, making people feel understood and closer together. Essentially, it strengthens relationships and builds a closer bond.
Why is it important to share your stories with others?
Because sharing our stories with each other can help us realize some “aha” moments caused by visualizing something through that other person’s eyes, which just might bring clarity to something we had stuck in the back of our mind. True stories engage, inspire, compel and they can even help us learn to think outside the box. How many times have we said to ourselves, “Wow, I never thought about that before!” While the same stories will not inspire everyone, each story has the potential to impact even one person, and it’s worth sharing until it does.
When you share stories, you open a window into your life, allowing others to see your perspective and feel closer to you. You might also help someone learn a new or better driving technique. Storytelling helps build communication with other drivers and encourages active listening and open communication between people.
This type of storytelling works extremely well between driving coaches and students. A qualified and experienced driving coach will listen and at times pick up on stories the student is sharing, and have a better understanding of where they are coming from. The driving coach can pass down racing stories of overcoming challenges, which can motivate and inspire the student to face his or her own difficulties. If a student driver isn’t inspired by their coach, they should consider finding another coach. After all, wasn’t the urge to race cars or to become a better driver inspired by others we’ve watched?
We all have stories within us. Memories of watching races on TV or at a racetrack, meeting that first professional racecar driver, attending our first HPDE, those laps around the track with a NASA instructor, and eventually our first race day, off course excursion and all the different threads that make us who we are as drivers today. Sharing these stories can offer perspective, insight, and tons of confidence for the storyteller and those who hear them.
Questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no will lead to more detail. Questions could be something like, “What was your first racecar experience?” or “During your first HPDE, what were your biggest concerns?” or “What is your biggest wish related to racing cars?”
Is everyone a storyteller? The answer is yes. They may not know it yet, but everyone has memories and stories. Some may feel they have nothing of importance to tell you, or perhaps have something they want to tell you, but struggle to say it. They may simply feel embarrassed because of whom they’re in the company of. In those instances, be gently persistent, but in an open way. Encourage them that you want to hear anything they have to tell you. You will find that everyone enjoys a good story.
Nicely written article. Just remember……not everyone is a racer, not even instructors. Some stopped at HPDE 4 or TT for whatever reason. Racing is a totally different animal…….. different safety equipment, much more risk of damage. I always said I wouldn’t do it unless I was on a team, preferably a sponsored one. Some are just not interested in racing wheel to wheel.
As far as what got me to the track…….it wasn’t anything anyone said. I liked cars ever since I was in a baby carriage. If my mom didn’t stop to look at a different car, I’d start crying. I read magazines about cars and watched racing well before I even had a driver’s license. When I was learning to drive in a parking lot, before I could even turn well or park, on the straights I would floor it. I’ve been taking turns hard whenever the chance came along since I had my driver’s license. As soon as I could rent a car I started doing track events. In fact, the first one was NASA group 3 at Sears Point.
Hey, I told a story!!!!