The stories in his music bring him in a driver’s flow  Baby is a young man who creates remixes of his life. He records conversations had around him (almost always around and not with him) on an old-fashioned mini-cassette recorder, and then mixes them into songs with some wonderfully antiquated keyboard and rhythm equipment. The…

A faulty purpose always leads to a bad ending. But  you may have a good quest and yet suffer from a monstrous misalignment between your quest and your day to day actions. It is imperative to consider whether your actions and quest are aligned. “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action”…

When one lives one’s life in pursuit of a false quest, it will eventually come apart. Sooner or later – hopefully sooner – the false purpose will come to seem like a fiction in a world that demands nonfiction.  A flawed quest always results in a flawed ending. As we can witness in the brilliant…

Molly Bloom hustles and jostles. She sizzles and dazzles, and whatever room she’s in, she’s totally in command—that is, until she isn’t. Even then, though, she’s irrepressibly verbal—able to articulate everything, all the time, in ways that are far quicker and cleverer than the average human ever could. In other words, Molly Bloom is an Aaron…

The stories we tell become powerful when they have characters with archetypal qualities.  Archetypes that have been with us since the dawn of time. We see them reflected in recurring images in art, literature, myth, music, movies and we know they are archetypal because they are found everywhere, in all times and places.  Because the characters…

By ‘the power of your ‘story’ I mean those tales we create and tell ourselves and others, and which form the only reality we will ever know in this life.  Our stories may or may not conform to the real world. They may or may not inspire us to take hope – filled action to better…

“Lion” sneaks up on you as it proceeds to pluck your heart strings with its little cat feet. Then, before you know it, tear ducts will be brimming and your entire being will be awash with incredible joy but also a splash of bittersweet sorrow. At least that is what happened to those around me…

Musicals made me a romantic. They taught me that some emotion is so powerful that it can’t be put into mere words—it must be sung. Some love is so overwhelming that you just have to move your feet. With a family that loved classic films, I remember being awed by Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, thinking they were…

Thornton plays Billy McBride, formerly the hottest of hotshots, the silver-tongued attorney the juries loved. Billy is now living at a rundown motel in Venice Beach. He’s an alcoholic, suffering from sleep apnea, divorced from his wife (Maria Bello) and apathetically settling court-appointed cases for a few bucks. Everything changes when a stranger (Nina Arianda)…

The Leisure Seeker is the affectionate name Helen Mirren’s character has given to the clunky, old Winnebago she and her husband, played by Donald Sutherland, have enjoyed family road trips in for years. And “The Leisure Seeker” is an affectionate film about that aging, ailing couple as they take one final, ill-advised journey in their beloved RV….

How you can use the right story at the right time to inspire change and action The movie Darkest hour shows how storytelling is one of the few ways to handle the most important and difficult challenges of entrepreneurship: sparking action, getting people to work together, and leading people into the future. Using the movie…

In ancient greece and rome, archetypes formed the basis of myths, in which they were depicted as gods and goddesses. These deities, together with those of other ancient cultures, provide some of the specific images associated with the 12 archetypes described in this book. Even though the actors in today’s mythic stories are mere mortals,…

In brief, motivational theory can be condensed into a focus on four major human drives positioned along two axes:  Belonging/People versus Independence/Self-Actualization, and Stability/Control versus Risk/Mastery. In everyday human terms, this means that most of us want very much to be liked an to belong to a group. At the same time, we also want…

Without a good ‘story’ for us to latch onto, to give meaning to the message, most of our story about ourself and our creative business slides by, vaguely seen or heard, but surely not absorbed. We all love stories, we need them. From fabels to novels, from movies to musicals, we instinctively crave stories which…

We are aided on our journey by inner guides, or archetypes, each of which exemplifies a way of being on the journey. The Power of your Story explores twelve such inner guides:  The Dreamer, The Independent,  The Warrior, The Caregiver, The Explorer, The Rule Breaker, The Lover,  The Creator, The Master,  The Magician, The Sage…

Forms or images of a collective nature which occur practially all over the earth as constituents of myths and at the same time as individual products of unconscious origin.  – C.G. Jung, Psychology and Religion The concept of archetypes was borrowed by Jung from classic sources, including Cicero, Pliny and Augustine. Adolf Bastian called them…

One way to to begin to explain how archetypes affect the story you tell yourself about yourself is by examining the great story patterns we see repeated throught films. One such scenario might involve a sexual encounter. Another might be about rising on the corporate ladder. Still another might begin with skipping work and going…

Stories about heroes are deep and eternal. They link our own longing and pain and passion with those who have come before in such a way that we learn something about the essence of what it means to be human and they also teach us what the power is of the stories we tell ourselves…

The heroic quest is about saying ‘yes’ to yourself and in so doing, becoming more fully alive, more effective in the world and live happily ever after. The quest is replete with dangers and pitfalls, but it offers great rewards: the capacity to be successful in the world, knowledge of the power of your story,…

The hero’s journey includes three major stages: preparation, the journey and the return. During the preparation stage, we are challenged to prove our competence, our courage, our humanity and our fidelity to high ideals. On the journey, we leave the safety of the family or tribe and embark on a quest where we encounter new…

Recognizing the ways our own lives connect with the twelve archetypal stages of the hero’s & heroine’s journey helps ennoble and give meaning to the everyday experiences of our lives. However, it is equally important to honor our own uniqueness. People spiral through these stages in different orders and ways. Finding the great story that…

The Dreamer is the part of us that trusts life, ourselves and other people. It is the part that has faith and hope, even when on the surface things look impossible. It is the part of us that keeps the faith in whatever it is we are hoping for. It is also the part that…

The Independent uses experiences of confrontation with obstacles to try harder, to have greater faith, to be more perfect and loveable, to be more worthy. The Independent sees it als demonstrating the essential truth that we are all on our own. The Independent Goal:    Remain autonomous Fear:    Exploitation, victimization Task:   Be open…

‘Where there is a will, there’s a way’ When most of us think of the hero, we imagine a Warrior. The Warrior escapes from a confining environment and begins the journey in search of a treasure. On the journey, he or she is called upon to face and slay many dragons. Such heroes have courage…

The Caregiver creates community by helping people feel that they belong and are valued and cared for, and by encouraging nurturing relationships between and among individuals. Caregivers create atmospheres and environments in which they and others feel safe and at home. The Caregiver Goal:    Help others; make a difference through love and caring Fear:…

The quest always begings with a yearning. We feel discontented or confined. Often we do not even have a name for what is missing, but we long for that mysterious something. The urge to seek the grail, to climb the mountain in search of visions, to seek wisdom, to cross new frontiers, to achieve the…

The Rule Breaker destroys what is not working in our lives and business, for ourselves and the people we care about. The Rule Breaker Goal:              Destroy what is not working. Growth, metamorphosis Fear:              Stagnation or annihiliation. Task:            …

The Lover archetype governs all sorts of human love, from parental love, to friendship, to spiritual love, but it is most important to romantic love. You might think of the Roman love god and goddess – Cupid and Venus – and of classic cinematic heartthrobs like Clark Gable, Gary Grant, Sophia Loren or Elizabeth Taylor. …

When we discover our true selves, the Creator also comes into our lives. When we become aware of our connection with the power of the creative process.  A positive but realistic projection of our future frees us to enjoy life in the present and to make our dreams come true. Visions are most powerful when…

Many stories, fairy tales and legends end with the discovery that the main character has made a journey to their development of the humility, empathy and knowledge of the challenges of ordinary life necessary to truly great leadership. The Ruler Goal:              a harmonious and prosperous new life and business…

The power of the Ruler is to create a prosperous and peaceful world (life, business). The power of the Magician is to transform reality by changing the experience. Magicial, flow, transformative experiences.  Without the Magician, your world cannot be transformed. The Magician Goal:              Transformation of lesser into better realities…

Both Rulers and Magicians want to control reality and to change negative circumstances into positive ones. Sages have little or no need to control or change the world; they just want to understand it. The Sage’s path is the journey to find out the truth – about ourselves, our world, our life and work. At…

Commediants have a license to say what other people would be hanged for, to puncture the Ruler’s ego when the Ruler is in danger of hubris, and to generally provide balance in your life and business by breaking the rules and thereby allowing an outlet for forbidden insights, behaviors, and feelings. The Commediant Goal:  …

The following are the first steps in a process we’ve devised and refined over the years, from feedback our clients have provided. It starts with you writing your current story – a first draft. Eventually, after some hard and honest work – and several drafts – you’ll have produced a story that accurately reflects the…

Some tricks to a more authentic story:  Exaggerating your voice often makes it easier to recognize how destructive and illogical the story you’ve been telling yourself actually is. Just as novelists and screenwriters go through dozens of drafts before they get it right, prepare to go through several rewrites before you can effectively capture the…

Step 3.  Identify the faulty elements of your old story by asking yourself three questions, about both the total story and each of the individual points it makes:  Will this story take me where I want to go in life (while at the same time remaining true to my deepest values and beliefs)?  Does the…

Ultimate Quest is close to synonymous with ‘theme’, a word with which every accomplished storyteller is familiar. Every story has a theme, usually a very simple one. You should be able to identify it, though often you may have to think about it a bit, to make sure that you have sorted out the overall…

Unity – alignment – are hallmarks of persuasive stories. A good story is consistent. It has an internal logic. Every thought you share, every word you utter, every expression you make can’t help revealing some aspect of your unique story. As with great stories, the theme (Ultimate Quest) of your life story is simple –…

We have talked about how a faulty purpose always leads to a bad ending. But  you may have a good quest and yet suffer from a monstrous misalignment between your quest and your day to day actions. It is imperative to consider whether your actions and quest are aligned. “Suit the action to the word,…

  I ask people a number of questions to get them to portray their life in terms of story terms:  Describe the theme of your life story; Describe your character role in it; Describe the tone of it;  Describe the trajectory.  For example, one question asks: Which is your story? a.  A good past has…

A story can only work if its Ultimate Quest is positive, it won’t work if its main goal is merely the avoidance of risk and pain.  Even if we’re wired to be pessimists, there is something about the glass half filled camp that appeals irresistibly.  As I said earlier, more important than the ‘facts’ of…

Optimists should watch out, too The majority of studies support the power of positive thinking.  I’m sure you can think of dozens of examples from life – those around you and, one hopes, your own, in which optimism and belief (positive assumption) led to the achievement of great things.  There are two popular definitions of…

Asked what it takes to be a great writer, Ernest Hemingway replied  ‘a built in shock proof crap detector. We all have a crap detector – some better than others, some exquisitely on the mark, some tragically deficient. It is our evaluative inner voice, an absolutely viral instrument that enables us – privately at least…

People continue to pursue happiness, because we believe, incorrectly, that greater happiness lies just around the corner – in the next goal accomplished, the next social relationship obtained, the next problem solved. We constantly need to infuse our story with new thinking, new energy. To do so can bring about shifts in happiness, excitement, enthusiasm,…

All good stories hinge on dramatic moments, truth … and turning points. All life stories have turning points. Turning points can be positive or negative. It should be said also that one person’s negative turning point is another one’s positive after the fact. Many people have described a near death experience as ‘the best thing…

  Quest, truth, action. When writers really want to emphasize something, they put in a one sentence paragraph. If they suspect even that isn’t emphasis enough, then they go to Plan B: break things into still more melodramatic, one-word paragraphs. Quest. Truth. Action. All good storytelling coheres around those three ideas. They are the three…

Quest.   What is my ultimate quest?  What am I living for? What principle, what goal, what end? For my whole life, and every single day? Why do I do what I do? For what? What is the thing that would get me to do my utmost. What is the thing I’m driving toward –…

Truth.  Is the story I am telling true? Does it conform to known facts? Is it grounded in objective reality as fully as possible; that is, does it coincide with some generally agreed upon portrayal of the world? Or is it true only if I’m living in a dreamland? Is it a lie I tell…

Action:  A good story is premised on action …. is mine? With my quest firmly in mind, along with a confidence about what is really true, what actions will I now take to make things better, so that my ultimate quest and my day to day life are better aligned? What habits do I need…

It is not good enough to satisfy one or even two of the three rules and content yourself that your story has now improved, it won’t leave you 33% better off or 67% better off. More likely, you may have fulfilled one or even two of the three rules but because all three rules are…