Don’t Miss the Mark: Turning Your Stories Into Legacy, Not Liability

Picture this: You’re standing in front of your team (or maybe your board, or maybe just your laptop), saying the same line for the third time this month. You’ve workshopped it. You’ve put it in the newsletter. You’ve shared it at staff meeting. But still—you get blank stares.

That’s one of the first clues that your messaging isn’t working as hard as you are.

And here’s the thing: Your stories should be your legacy, not your liability. They should echo long after you stop speaking, carrying your mission forward like a well-tuned song. When they don’t, you risk being remembered for scattered words instead of the powerful work you’re here to do.

Hitting the mark with your stories ensures they become your legacy, not your liability

So how do you know if you’re missing the mark?

Here are three signs I see most often—and what to do instead.

1. You’re repeating yourself because no one remembers what you said.

When your own team can’t echo your words back to you, it’s a sign your message isn’t sticking. Think of your message like planting seeds: if you toss them in the wind, they scatter. If you plant them in tended soil, they grow.

The fix: Anchor your message in story. People don’t remember bullet points—they remember the child who got a second chance, the customer who finally found relief, the staff member who made the impossible possible. When you wrap your key message in a story, you give people something to carry with them.

2. You’re getting polite nods instead of real engagement.

A clear message should spark action: a question, a comment, a DM, a donation. If you’re getting quiet agreement instead, it means your audience isn’t sure where to go next.

The fix: Every story needs a doorway. Don’t just tell the story—invite your audience into it. End with a next step they can take, however small. Legacy stories aren’t just remembered; they move people.

3. Your content feels scattered.

Your emails sound one way, your social posts another, your pitch deck something else entirely. It’s like listening to a band where every instrument is playing a different song.

The fix: Find your throughline. Your mission has a heartbeat—your messaging should, too. That doesn’t mean everything has to sound the same, but it should feel like it belongs to the same story.

The Bottom Line

Your stories are too important to leave to chance. They’re not just words on a page—they’re the way people understand your mission, your work, your why. When they’re cared for, they become your legacy. When they’re neglected, they can become a liability.

The good news? You don’t have to fix this alone. That’s why I created Message Magic Sessions—a focused way to dig into your messaging, unearth your best stories, and put words to work so they carry your mission forward.

✨ Ready to make your stories your legacy? Let’s talk Message Magic.