You know what is celebrating its 70th anniversary? The Guiness Book of World Records. What an interesting book franchise. I read it as a kid – and my kids love it too. More than that, they came to it without any input from me. It was some combination of YouTube Kids and a book fair at the school library. Whatever the source, getting the 2025 Guiness Book of World Records was top of the list for my five-year-old this past Christmas.
So, we’ve been flipping through it at night. Some of the world records are silly like fastest time to build a Mr. Potato Head: 5.43 seconds. And some are amazing like the oldest waterskiier – Dawn Jacobsen waterskied 1km at age 92 years and 99 days.
I find the longest fingernails record to be creepy (not the woman, but the nails) but my kids are fascinated. They wanted to know why I think it’s creepy, so I asked them, “How does she wipe her bum?”
That kicked off a round of giggles. Leave it to the Guiness Book…
I don’t want to be on the record for longest intro before I get to the point so let me pivot to that. I think we all could be in the Guiness Book. Think about it. There is something that is quintessentially you, that you do incredibly well. And if this thing was just measured, it could be a world record.
Think about it. It’s probably more than one thing. And maybe it’s hard to quantify but still there is something that is identifying, astonishing, incredible, and unique. Maybe it’s how many days in a row you’ve written, the way you always know what time it is, how many (or few) words you say in a day, or how many pens you can store behind your ear. Maybe it’s the way you can tell a story so that everyone feels touched.
Here’s the question. What do you do with your unique and awesome talent? Do you own it? Have you mentioned it to someone?
Because based on 70 years of the Guiness Book of World Records, I’d pretty sure we all are interested in knowing and celebrating it.
I co-host a storytelling podcast featuring authors and artists. To tune in, search for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Pocketcasts (and subscribe) or click here. Or the YouTube channel features videos of our interviews. Please subscribe!
My other projects include work as a CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer), speaking about creativity and AI through the Chicago Writer’s Association, and my book about my journey to find what fueled my dad’s indelible spark and twinkle can be found on Amazon: Finding My Father’s Faith.
You can find me at my personal blog https://wynneleon.com/ and on Instagram and Twitter @wynneleon
(featured image is my kids reading the Guiness Book of World Records on Christmas morning)