“I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.” ~Stephen King, On Writing
Years ago I was listening to an audio of Earl Nighingale telling Russell Conwell’s story, The Acres of Diamonds. I remember how engrossed I was as I listened to him tell it. Earl had a way of bringing across stories that fit certain points he wanted to make. And his telling of The Acres of Diamonds was no different. When Russell Conwell told that story, he did it to help raise money in order to build a university. It took years and his story was in heavy demand. With the funds he raised, Temple University was born. That same story of finding diamonds within yourself is the basis for the mission of Temple.
We all have stories and when told, can drive others to action. Even when you tell your story to yourself, it will help influence you to take actions as well. Story has power for both right and wrong. It simply is a vehicle of influence. Stories get passed down through generations and whether they are based on fact or not, does not matter. Stories have a more powerful impact emotionally than facts.
I remember when I was a kid and had a backyard camp out with my best friend at the time. We pitched a tent and told stories. Now, I wasn’t very good at telling stories due to my stuttering. And I can tell you that if you ever heard me try to tell a story back then, boy, you’d freak out. Most of the time I wouldn’t even try. Even just saying the word “story” was a trial in itself for me. So there I was with my best friend (who we called “Thumper” because he would thump his feet and legs when he slept.) and getting ready to tell stories. We’d start with ghost stories and it seemed that we couldn’t tell them as good as the adults that first told them to us.
We tried and if it wasn’t for those days of wanting to tell good stories, I doubt that I’d ever attempt to become a professional speaker. In fact, I was probably the last person in the world you’d suspect that would become a speaker of any kind. I did have a desire to tell stories though. I even created my own story of a mouse named “Chubby” back in elementary school. I would write about the different adventures he went on. To this day I wonder what ever happened to that mouse of my childhood. That is story for another day.
Think about how stories have influenced you. We all know the story of this country (United States), some true and some not so true. You see, it’s never the facts that are as important than the stories of our forefathers that are. And it was the stories told back then that led to the actions those men back then took. Every nation has similar stories and so do religions. And the more emotions that are involved within those stories, the more powerful they become to inspire action. Look at Hollywood. The best movies are amazing stories with emotions. They are so powerful that people will believe what is contained in movies based on history as real versus facts. Even when people are told it’s only a story with a lot of fiction contained in it, they will still believe the fiction as fact (not all people will, just most).
Think about the story you tell yourself about yourself. Is it true or not? You see, it’s your personal story that leads you to take the actions you take. Change your story and you’ll change your actions. And that is my challenge to you. Change your story to help you become a more powerful and better version of you, okay? I did that by looking at my life’s story of that stuttering kid that overcame the stuttering to become a powerful speaker/storyteller (constantly in construction).
I wish you the best as you work on the stories in your life and how other stories have also influenced you. Have fun with this process.
Cheers,
Bob
