Executive’s Desk: How telling a better story can build a stronger Albuquerque

I’m tired of bad news. Everywhere I look, from news headlines to social media, I see a constant stream of stories highlighting everything that’s wrong with Albuquerque. While we shouldn’t ignore our city’s challenges, this relentlessly negative narrative is taking a toll. It’s time we intentionally shift our collective story.

I was recently reminded of the power of storytelling while listening to a “Hidden Brain” podcast episode titled “Change Your Story, Change Your Life.” Host Shankar Vedantam interviewed psychologist Jonathan Adler, whose research shows how our personal narratives shape our well-being. Adler explains that we tend to tell two types of stories: redemption stories, where things go from bad to good; and contamination stories, where things go from good to bad.

His research found a powerful connection: Telling redemption stories boosts our happiness, while contamination stories make us feel miserable. Critically, these narratives are contagious — they spread through a community, shaping our collective well-being.

This resonated deeply with me. As someone who works with local leaders, businesses, educational institutions, government agencies and nonprofits, I have a front-row seat to countless positive initiatives that are rarely celebrated publicly. I see firsthand the tireless work of organizations striving to improve our city — from providing better jobs and services to building a stronger community. Yet, these stories are often buried, overshadowed by daily headlines of crime and other frustrations.

This is a call to action for all Albuquerque leaders. You are the “narrators in chief” of our city’s story, and it’s time to start bragging. Don’t keep your positive impact a secret. Share your successes with the media, post them on social media and tell everyone what you are doing to make Albuquerque a better place. We need to hear these stories to counter the negativity.

Beyond simply inspiring optimism, these shared stories can also build self-efficacy, a key concept from psychologist Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s ability to successfully perform a task or achieve a goal. When people hear stories of neighbors and local businesses making a real difference, they begin to believe that they, too, can contribute to positive change.

A community with a strong sense of collective self-efficacy is more resilient and more likely to tackle tough problems, because its members feel empowered, not helpless. By celebrating these successes, you’re not just sharing good news — you’re building a foundation of belief that we can, together, improve our city.

This is also a call to action for our local media. You hold immense power in shaping our city’s narrative. While it’s your job to report the news, it’s also your responsibility to reflect the full story of our community — the good alongside the bad. Give positive stories the prominence they deserve. Put them on the front page and in the lead news segments.

As Adler’s research shows, we aren’t just characters in our story; we are the narrators. We have the power to change our well-being by changing the stories we tell. Let’s work together to create a new, more positive narrative for Albuquerque — one that inspires, uplifts and reflects the incredible work happening all around us.