Saturday, June 16, one of my best friends and I hopped in the car and spent hours on the road to get to Real Art Ways in Hartford, Connecticut to attend the book launch of Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling by Matthew Dicks. The whole point of this new book is to learn how to better tell your stories, and these lessons are framed through Dicks' personal stories.

While I'm waiting for my review of Storyworthy to go up on my blog, I thought I'd take some time to give Matthew the recognition that he deserves.

Yes, I know I already did that here, but there is still so much that is left to say.

Reading Storyworthy, you learn a lot about Matthew's life and who he is. He tells the stories that shaped his life as well as very simple moments that stuck out to him for one reason for another. And, sitting at the book launch, we listened as he told five stories and gave us quick lessons about how to better tell our stories. According to Matthew, we all have stories to tell. You just need to learn how to pinpoint them and work on your craft.

I had the chance to pull Matthew aside during the intermission and tell him a bit of my story.

Anyone who read the other article about Matthew knows that he gave a book talk at my high school during my junior year. That day, he told my mother that I would do amazing things someday, a message she later passed onto me.

At this point, I was really geeking out. I'd read all of his books at least once and adored every one of them. I'd started watching the videos of him telling stories on YouTube already, but it wasn't a huge thing quite yet.

What really got me was the blog. Matt posts to his blog, Grin and Bare It, every day, and has for years. I wake up between 8:02 and 8:04 every morning to my email notifying me that the latest blog post has been delivered to my inbox.

I have always wanted to start a blog. I wanted one but was too afraid. What would I talk about? Would I be able to post regularly?

And then I started thinking of Matthew telling stories up on stage, and I was envious. I wish I had the nerve to do that. I wish I had an opportunity and the willpower to even step onto a stage.

So, when I happened to be staying overnight on campus when an open mic night was going on, I convinced the friend I was staying with to come with me. I had no story to tell, but I had plenty of poems to read. So I read a poem, on stage, with actual people watching. People who applauded. It happened.

I sat back in my chair, shaking, and watched my friend sing. I felt like I couldn't breathe, but I was so proud. I'm pretty sure I was bouncing in my seat. All I wanted to do was email Matthew and tell him.

Then, a few weeks later, I did it again.

Then, just a few weeks ago, I started writing a book blog on my friend Gabrielle's website. At the moment, I post twice a week. I'm writing reviews and scheduling ahead of time. I'm loving blogging.

I've fallen in love with two things that I was terrified of because I envied Matt enough to give them a try, and here I am.

Not all stories are heartwarming. They don't always make you look good. They're meant to make you look human. And here I am, reminding everyone that I am a human being who is constantly afraid of things and must force myself to work through them. I'm a person who has shaped so much of herself around one simple thing that her hero said about her.

I owe so much of who I am now to Matthew Dicks. My story certainly wouldn't be half as interesting if I'd never sent him that first email way back in my freshman year of high school, and I wouldn't be who I am if he'd never said what he said to my mother.

Thank you. Eternally.