Struggle & Love

There is a unique local brewery in Toronto whose slogan is “made with struggle and love.”

It strikes me that this is a great slogan for making anything ambitious. And it might be especially suited for storytelling, too.

Why struggle? Why love?

Struggle because it’s part of the process.

Creating something new requires venturing into the unknown. It involves rubbing up against resistance or uncertainty or self-doubt or all of the above.

Sharing any kind of story involves a degree of vulnerability.

And sometimes it’s hard. Really hard. You might even wonder whether it will be worth it, in the end.

And struggle is inherent to stories themselves.

Conflict and challenge are part of any great story. Struggle builds interest and suspense. It pulls our readers deeper into our stories, and involves them in the process. It strengthens our connection. Tension is the gateway to growth, change, and discovery.

When we embrace the struggle, we embrace both the process, and the outcome. We know that struggle is naturally a part of the stories we tell, and the journey we take to get there.

Love is part of the process, too.

It might drive us crazy sometimes, but if we’re honest, we love the creative process, at least a little. (Right?)

In fact, the struggle helps us love it more. Working through the tension of creating something feels ultimately rewarding. Through it all, and despite whatever obstacles came our way, we made something. We did that.

You can love something without liking it all the time.

Sometimes, the process of bringing stories to life can be hard or even mundane, but we can still love it anyway. I like to think of it as putting my heart into it.

And like struggle, bringing love to your story isn’t just about the process. It’s also about the story itself—and the person receiving it.

You might not always love what you’re making, but you can love the person you’re making it for. That imaginary reader or listener. The person you want to teach or inspire or make laugh or connect with or serve or support.

And while struggle is part of a good story, so is love, in some form: joy, commitment, encouragement, satisfaction, laughter, inspiration, hope, or resolution… these kinds of things are necessary too.

Stories can’t be just about the struggle. That would get boring (not to mention depressing), fast.

But when paired with love, you’ve got a recipe for a pretty powerful story.

So tell me: what have you done this year with struggle and love?

And if you’re struggling, just know that I believe in your story. And I love it, too.