Tag: storytelling

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motivation storytelling

This bird has flown

birds flying on the sky
Photo by Valeriia Miller on Pexels.com

Lamenting about a wild bird that has flown away does little good. No matter how you wish it would come back, it’s improbable the bird will fly back. Let’s face it: this bird has flown!

As I see it, the point of storytelling isn’t to lament about the “good old days.” Maybe they were good. Or maybe our selective memory forgets that the past had just as much pain and struggle as the present. After all, were the good old days really that good?

When we tell our stories, we hope others will learn from our mistakes and triumphs. Otherwise, we might sound like the boring old guy Bruce Sprintgsteen sings about in Glory Days. (Between this song and referencing Norwegian Wood, I’m in a bit of a classic rock mood today.)

A good story has both the good and the bad, its victories and failures. Because life is never as perfect, nor as hopeless as we believe.

Tell your story today. But don’t make it sound like a greatest hits album. After all, this bird has flown.

Categories
Inspiration Cartoons motivation

Why couldn’t I see that?

jigsaw puzzle
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Have you ever thought that? I can spend a long time on a puzzle, trying this and that solution. I may conclude there is no answer.
But when the solution finally comes, it seems so obvious. It was staring at me the whole time. Why couldn’t I see that?

Alas, we may be convinced we are stuck when that may not be the case. Don’t believe you are permanently stuck!

Illustration of a skier stuck in the snow. I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "snow."

A good story leads us to believe the plot is going one way when it swerves the other. And yet, the ending is believable. It leads us to say, “Why couldn’t I see that?” We love a creative plot twist.

The world is searching for a solution to life’s puzzle. You may have the one unique story that can inspire someone and cause them to see there is a solution after all. You may prompt them to say, “Of course! Why couldn’t I see that?”

Categories
motivation

What’s Your Story?

man carrying child
Photo by Phil Nguyen on Pexels.com

We all have one. You may think it’s boring because you lived it. It may not be ready for the world, or perhaps you don’t want the world to know it… yet.

We have all faced incredible challenges. Some of us ran crying from our fifth birthday party because you showed off with a stunt, only to have the swing hit you in the back and knock you to the ground. At five years old, I felt humiliated and in pain. Wait a minute, did I say that was me?

You may be tempted to belittle and ignore it, but we all have stories to tell. And your story may be just what someone needs to hear. What’s your story?

Categories
Christianity Missions motivation

Lessons From a Mission Trip

Boca Chica, Dominican Republic: Lessons from a Mission Trip

Last month, I was privileged to go on a short-term mission trip with my employer, OneHope, to the Dominican Republic. And the good news is I didn’t break the country! Along the way, I learned a few lessons from a mission trip.

I have been on a few mission trips over the years. Whenever I am on a new experience, I keep my eye out for new lessons. Some of them may be new. Others reassure me past lessons are still valid. On this trip, three lessons stood out to me.

Rainy afternoon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
A rainy afternoon in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Continue reading “Lessons From a Mission Trip”
Categories
Marketing

No Small Stories

Cartoon of a boy and grandfather

“If your story is too small, it’s not a story. It’s just an annoying interruption.”

Seth Godin in All Marketers Tell Stories

We’ve all endured it. We’ve all had a friend who began to tell a story that had no point. It just drags on and on. We’ve experienced the person who starts telling a joke but gets lost somewhere before the punchline. What began as a potentially good story falls flat and becomes an annoyance.

In Seth Godin’s book, All Marketers Tell Stories, he reminds me that all marketing is a story. When we think of a brand, we have a story that comes to mind. Your favorite drink sparks a fond memory. Your favorite restaurant has a story you tell yourself about the quality, the atmosphere, and the service you expect.

We tell ourselves stories all the time when we shop. We expect this place to be too busy on a weekday evening. We tolerate this store because it has the lowest price. We begin to shop online and shun a store because we find an even better price and we don’t have to endure the crowds. That story of the store you once frequented becomes small because they can’t deliver what you expected anymore. It becomes an annoyance.

We tell ourselves stories every day. What story do people think of when they think about your business? How can you be sure your story doesn’t become too small to delight customers?

Let’s start telling our customers stories that are true, compelling and so good, we have to negotiate the movie rights.

Cartoon of a boy and grandfather