September 2010
8 posts
4 tags
Do You Enjoy Complaining?
Just for fun, I took a casual inventory of all the world’s folktales which focus on ‘complaining.’ The Internet makes it easy, of course; and my own library of folktale volumes helped a great deal…and let me say this: every culture, around the globe, has stories to share about the meaninglessness of complaining.
Most of us know what complaining is - and we should, because...
6 tags
Greed and Envy are Enemies of Happiness
Here’s a West African folktale about greed, avarice, and envy. I’m sharing it because I see a lot of people feeling envy around the success of others - those who have larger houses, more money, or seemingly-happier lives. This is a tale I heard during my childhood - and I’ll share my perceptions of the true value of this story at the end of the post.
Greed Makes a New Friend One...
8 tags
Mirror Neurons and Storytelling
I’ve been speaking with lots of college and high school students over the summer, and I asked them what made an excellent teacher. What I learned was this: a great teacher is a phenomenal storyteller. They engage the student’s hearts and minds, with stories.The same is true for successful business people. Read on…
In a blog post from 2009 enticingly titled, Barack Obama is...
Feeling Discouraged?
I discovered this remarkable website, www.mixergy.com, where you can get virtual inspiration and mentoring (of sorts) from highly successful entrepreneurs. I’ve been most intrigued with the story of Todd Smith - who faced the pressure many of us currently face:how to rise above our perceived limitations to excel - so that we can support our families!
Here’s a brief bio, from his blog,...
4 tags
Storytelling Secrets
“Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” ~Robert McKee
I opened with a quote that just inspires me so much…because I know what the world needs today are great ideas. Concepts that will change the way we do things as we move into the next decade, bravely facing the problems we have created with our “old way” of seeing and doing. Why...
5 tags
The Six Types of Stories
I’m an avid reader, and I think all storytellers - even when they are just telling themselves inspirational stories to get through the day - need to enjoy good books. Especially the genre of ‘short stories’ - a well-written short story is a powerful experience for the reader or listener. And most of the stories you’re going to be telling are relatively short.
All the...
Important habits for college students
itstimtime asked: What would you say are the three most important habits a college student should develop for success in the real world?
Hey, Tim!
What a great question. You’ve given me a lot to think about – just what are the threemost important habits for college students to cultivate? I made a list of five, and then honed it down to that magic number…three. Here goes.
I bet you’ll chuckle...
3 tags
It's Storytime!
O.K. Let’s have a bit of fun. This is a folktale about Hare, one of the “trickster” characters in Africa - the other being Anansi, the spider. Both Hare and Anansi are clever, daring - and often manipulative: finding ways to create advantageous situations. In today’s economy, where many of us feel (to some degree) powerless, such as story as this one can illustrate that opportunity is where you...