I reach out, grab a pistachio from the bowl, but when I put it in my mouth I know it’s a mistake:
It’s soft. It tastes… old.
I’m sitting around the table with Brian and Jo, my partners-in-crime, and now I’m confused: they’ve been eating these pistachios for two days.
The bowl of empty shells is almost full, they must have gone through 100 pistachios already.
“These pistachios taste terrible. I think they’re well past their expiry date.”
“Yep,” Brian says.
“For sure,” Jo agrees.
“Huh. If you’ve noticed, why have you eaten so many?”
As he reaches out for another one, Brian shrugs and says,
“They’re right in front of us.”
I guess that explains it 😅
Stories don’t have a meaning
It only takes me a moment after that interaction to realise a possible story has just taken place. I jot it down on my Homework for Life notes, and mention it to them.
Brian says, “Yeah, you could use it to talk about the importance of staying present for people.”
“And being old and soft?”
“Well, no. I just mean that, even when you’re not the best option, if you’re right there there’s a much better chance people will think of you when they need help.”
“Huh, that’s not what I would have gone for at all. My initial thought was around the bad decisions we make, sometimes over and over, just because they’re easy.”
“That would make sense too.”
Stories don’t have a meaning–they can have many. That’s why it’s important that you
Turn what happened over and over until you find all the possible meanings; that’s how you get way more from your stories, and use them in different contexts
Make your point clear at the end of the story, and don’t leave it to your audience to figure it out; sometimes that’s ok if the meaning is absolutely obvious, but often that won’t be the case
Material for stories is everywhere, but you need to know how to make the most of it when you find it.
Keep your eyes open.
Write it down.
Figure out all the ways you can tell those stories…
So they taste better than those old disgusting pistachios ever could 🤘
-Francisco
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
Getting clarity through your story to stand out from all the other coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs out there
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If you (or your team) got any storytelling challenges, I’m sure there’s something we can do together ;-)
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