I’ve spent more time thinking about grocery stores lately than I'd like to admit.

Not because I particularly enjoy grocery shopping (home delivery for the win).

But because one of my copywriting clients lives and breathes everything grocery. That’s the industry they serve.

And as it turns out, grocery stores are pretty fascinating places. More accurately, the way people shop and behave in grocery stories is fascinating.

Did you know that 75% of people don’t stick to their shopping list?

In other words, most of us are impulse buyers, even if we don’t think we are.

That got me thinking about the many beliefs we hold about ourselves, some of which may or may not be true.

Would you consider yourself an impulse buyer? Do you think differently about your habits now that you’ve read that stat?

What other beliefs might you hold that simply aren’t true?

I know a lot of people believe they’re not good storytellers. They don’t think they have the writing chops, the creativity, or anything interesting to write about.

But telling a good story has nothing to do with proper grammar. (In fact, I’d argue that the best stories break a lot of traditional writing rules!)

Good stories don’t require Pixar-level creativity or jump-out-of-a-plane adventures, either.

Sometimes, the best stories come from small moments, everyday encounters, and fleeting observations.

Sometimes the stories your audience will find most relatable happen in the cheese aisle.

I challenge you to take 15 minutes to reflect on what you’ve done over the past week.

What made you chuckle?

What made you angry? (Traffic. The answer is always traffic.)

What made you stop and think, huh, I’d never thought about that before?

I guarantee there’s at least one good story in there. Sit with it, tease it out, and see what you come up with.

If you’re feeling brave, hit reply and share it with me!

Erin