What My Fidget Toy Taught Me About My Career Journey

The surprising story of how my favorite desk toy - a mini Slinky - helped me embrace my true self at work, and how storytelling helped me realize it.

I have a challenge for you. Let’s do an in-home scavenger hunt!

Look around your desk or your office. Find an item that is meaningful to you and has some connection to your career. 

☕️ Maybe it’s your favorite mug you got from a conference.*

🎴 An old office badge that reminds you of a career highlight.*

📓 Or a book gifted to you by an old boss.* 

We’ll come back to your object in a second. ⏳

But first, let me share the story of my object. 

For me, this meaningful item is a Slinky Jr.

You might be asking yourself, “Wait, what? A child’s toy is significant in Liz’s career?” 

And I’d reply “YUP! This bouncy spring is so much more than a toy.” 

It all started with a powerful storytelling exercise that made me see my career growth in a whole new light.  

A few years ago, I took an improv storytelling class with the incredible Corey Rosen. 

One week, he asked us to bring in an object and we were going to tell a story about it. 

TBH - I forgot about the homework and came to class unprepared.

As class was about to begin, I frantically searched through my bag. 

There, at the bottom, was my favorite mini-Slinky, a fidget toy I always carry with me to help me concentrate.  

Corey asked us to talk about our item but end our story with these three phrases: 

This is…

You are…

Thou art… 

When it was my turn, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to say. 

But I let the story of how I came to be a Slinky aficionado tumble out of me: 

If you know me, you know I can be a bit of a fidgety person. 

I constantly twirl my hair. I shift in my seat. I can bounce my leg. 

In the past, I’ve had (bad) bosses who called me out on this energy. Who would draw attention to me every time they caught me twirling my hair. One even had the nerve to physically swat my hand away from my head every time he witnessed me touching my hair. 

I became self-conscious of this trait. 

I started to make myself smaller at work. 

One day, in pursuit of finding some other way to relieve some of this pent-up energy (and not be assaulted by my shitty-boss), I stumbled upon a Slinky Jr. at a science museum gift shop. 

I brought it in to work the next day, and I fell in love. 

It was tactile but small enough to be discreet.

Playing with it really helped me concentrate in meetings.

It was a conversation starter, too. Liz, why do you have so many Slinkies at your desk??

So for the next few years, I proudly kept a mini-Slinky with me at all times. 

Unless my co-workers stole it so they could play with it too. Which happened fairly frequently, to my fidgety dismay. 

When I became a manager, I decided to gift my new team with their own mini-Slinkies. 

Partially, this was for selfish reasons because I wanted them to stop stealing mine.

But really, I wanted them to know that I accepted them exactly as they are, unique quirks and all. 

Because the mini-Slinky helped me accept myself and my unique quirk of twirling my hair. It helped me stop making myself small just to conform to the desires of others. 

Even all these years later, I can vividly remember how I ended this impromptu story:

This is… a Slinky Jr., my favorite desk toy.

You are… my constant companion in meetings, helping me concentrate and soothe my anxieties.

Thou art… a symbol of how I’ve grown from being self-conscious about my quirks to showing up fully as myself, and spreading that love and openness to other people too.

When I started telling that story in Corey’s class, I had NO IDEA that a Slinky could be so meaningful. 

But by the end, not only was I almost in tears, but I had a newfound appreciation for just how much I had grown in my career journey. 

That is the power of taking time to intentionally shape and share our life stories. 

🔎 We uncover and process lessons from our lives.

🔗 We make unexpected connections that open up our perspectives.

💪 We become more confident and proud of our accomplishments. 

I am on a mission to create more spaces where you can come explore and engage with your personal and professional stories. 

That is why I am hosting a small group Story Coaching program called Shape Your Career with Storytelling.

This group is great for folks who are in a moment of career transition, or who want to get better talking about your twisty-windy career path. 

Over 6+ weeks, you are going to learn the foundations of storytelling and apply them to powerful stories from your career. 

You’ll do more fun exercises like this, and have a chance to practice and share your stories with a small and supportive group, too. 

Then, you will turn your storytelling skills to the future, and get clear on what you want to create in your next career chapter. 

We kick off on Tuesday, March 12th!

Use the code SLINKY for $250 off AND I will send you a mini-slinky of your own. 😃

Intrigued, but not quite ready to invest in your storytelling skills? Send me an email (liz@lizmorrison.com) and I am happy to offer you a free coaching call to explore where you are in your career at the moment, and discuss how storytelling can help you confidently move forward.

 ❇️ So now back to your item. Do you see it differently now? 

❓ What is the story of your object?

❓ When did you get it? Who gave it to you?

❓ What does it mean to you? 

💬 Try finishing the statements - This is, You are, Thou art.

I hope you find a deeper connection to your object and the memory it represents. I am all ears if you want to share your object’s story with me! 

Happy Storytelling!