A Funny Dog Story
June 29, 2009
My Protector Miss Sweetie
This ten pound bundle of cuteness may not look like a fierce protector. But if you’ve ever known dachshunds, you’ll know that they were bred to haul big fat fierce badgers out of their holes. And that is no small task!
So my wonderful Miss Sweetie is tiny and cute but she is also mighty. The first time she demonstrated her talents was a few years ago an unwelcome Uncle came to our door. He had a habit of dropping by unannounced, which no one in our family enjoyed. Especially since he could sit and talk for hours!
But my dog took care of that problem for me after only one visit. My uncle came to the door and when I opened it, she barked ferociously and he turned and fled. That was easy!
But the other night little Miss Sweetie did me an even better turn of protection much to my surprise. I have some new neighbors and they must have been out of town and had someone staying at their house.
It was about 10 pm and this young man decided to step outside to smoke. But the place he chose was a narrow balcony that connects our two homes and is a little too close for comfort as the window to the outside looks right into my living room. Eeek!
I didn’t know what to do and I definitely didn’t want someone out there billowing smoke into my home but what could I say? I didn’t even know him and I didn’t want to be rude.
But just as I was wondering what to do, I heard this very loud sound. The best I can do to describe it is to call it a ‘man sound’. (sorry fellows!) It is one of those noises that you will probably never ever hear a woman make. Unless she’s on a dessert island and even then…no probably not!
You know the sound of…..what should I call it? The sound of a wad of gelatinous fluid being expelled from one’s throat? A loud and completely digusting sound?? Well that was the one he was making and my little dog went wild at the noise.
She ran to the door and started barking ferociously through the screen. I’m not sure if he could even see her because she’s very small but a second later, I heard the sound of a door closing and I realized that he’d actually put out his cigarette and gone inside!
Yay Miss Sweetie for warding off gelatinous-wad-expelling intruders! In addition to hauling badgers out of holes, my dog is good for many other tasks. 
So if you have any annoying neighbors or relatives, let me know. I’d consider hiring out Miss Sweetie for a night or two. :>) She’d be worth the price.
Ah, all is peaceful again here in the homestead. Little dog is back to sleep after her hard work! I can’t wait to see what she’s going to protect me from next!
![[Post to Twitter]](http://anniehart.com/wp-content/plugins/tweet-this/icons/tt-twitter.png){kind=icon}
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Stories Lead The Way - Success Story From Japan
June 29, 2009
There's More Beyond
I have a wonderful fan from Japan who wrote to me recently saying, “Annie, I just want you to know that I had to make a presentation to a group in my company to try to get them to do things they have never done before. I used the the “Plus Ultra” story from your blog with great success.” His use of story to lead his team to new places was such a great example of the true power of story, that I asked him if I could share it and he willingly agreed.
So here is the story of a leader from Japan who urged his team to go further beyond:
I am a partner in a global accounting firm. I have been doing this work for almost 30 years in five countries. In Tokyo, as a foreigner, I am an advisor. I can only try to influence and suggest action. Often, we foreigners suggest the implementation of methodologies and practices from the U.S. that the Japanese resist for a variety of reasons. Most of the reasons are some version of the theme that Japan is different or that the Japanese are different. That is true, of course, but from my point of view, the issue is not “if” it should be implemented, but “how” it should be localized.
I advise a Japanese client service engagement team. In the case below, I had to make a presentation to a group, led by a gentleman named Takefumi (Tak). My goal was to try to get them to do things they have never done before. I began the presentation with the Plus Ultra story that I found on Annie’s blog: http://anniehart.com/2009/05/how-stories-change-the-world/.
I built the message of “go further beyond” into each of the four action steps that I wanted them to take. I suggested that the team implement four methodologies that are successful in the U.S. but which have not been tried at all or only in a limited way before.
Tak is the new leader of the team. His predecessor was reluctant to consider any of the action steps. So, with a new leader, I thought I would try again.
When I followed up with Tak the next day, much to my surprise, he was already convinced of the need for change and to go further beyond. He liked the story and the powerful meaning it had for him and his team. After several more conversations, he is fully onboard with three of the four steps. And, given that the fourth step is not too popular in the U.S. either, it may have been an “action step too far” for now.
But I consider this to be a success. Annie, I eagerly await your next story. Maybe I can get to the fourth action step afterall! I want to thank you for the story.
Annie’s note: Isn’t this a great story! Let it inspire your actions in the world today. You CAN make a difference through the stories you tell.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Video of the Week, Storytelling is the Game
June 28, 2009
According to branding guru Gary Vaynerchuck, storytelling is the name of the game. He believes it is the most underrated thing when it comes to business and yet it is everything when trying to convey emotion and attachment to your brand and in todays world. Gary says, “Folks, a press release is JUST not gonna CUT IT!
My thoughts exactly. I love this guy!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Finale, Champion of the Dream
June 23, 2009
This is the Courage Award. It goes to Corey Blake for his courage and tenacity to tell a story that has never been told.
He did so with all his effort, all his might, and all his energy.
This wasn’t easy.
Stories like this can live inside us forever and never be told. But Corey had the knowing that he needed to bring it to the light of day, and he did.
What was the real breakthrough here? Was it the product or was it the process? Who’s to tell? Corey chose to dive in to some emotionally difficult places and that wasn’t easy. But those are exactly the stories that need to be told because they are have the most juice. And they have a universal meaning for all of us.
The pearl of Corey’s journey is the turning point moment between “The Critic” and “The Wimp”. Each of us has these two seeming opponents inside of us. One is very weak and the other a kind of brute that tells us to ‘just get up and move on with it.” That is a common theme in the psyche.
In Corey’s journey when we were drawing out this story, there was a very tender and emotional moment when he realized that The Wimp was really the stronger one of the two.
The Wimp was the one that had the ability to sit through the pain. And when we are down, that is exactly what each of us needs on our journey. We need someone to just sit in the room with us until we’re able to heal and move on.
When we got deeper into the story, we saw that The Critic was really shouldering a huge burden. He was so concerned with what people thought of him. He was always upholding an image of himself so people wouldn’t think he’s weak. Again a common archetype that we live.
The touching line from The Wimp to The Critic was, “My wish for you is that you would put the burden down.”
That is when I personally welled up and knew that this was a story that needed to be told.
Corey is still working on his story and that may take some time. We can’t rush these things. But we have travelled safely in the land of myth and story. The passage has been made to the other side.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, The Epiphany
June 22, 2009
From Corey:
So last night, Annie and I went out to celebrate our time of discovery together. We had a really nice dinner (I even got a bit of Sushi!) and then we had planned to take Miss Sweetie on a walk and try to determine our next steps, when I suddenly said, “I think I need to go back to the hotel and write.”
And I did.
I sat down and opened a word document to begin scripting what we had come up with over the weekend. Then I closed the word document and opened Final Draft, my screenwriting software and the writing began to flow. In no time I had the first four pages. I sent them to Annie who replied with “You’ve done the impossible!”
This morning I did some revising and while on the plane I added another 5 pages. We’re up to 9. It’s not complete, but the structure is emerging. And it’s freakin deep.
I came home and talked about the journey with my wife. I related to her the struggle between my inner dreamer, my inner wimp and my inner critic. And then I demonstrated the conversation between the wimp and the dreamer and walked her through my moment of epiphany when I discovered that the wimp was actually the more courageous of the two. I could see on her face that it worked.
I sat down and showed her some of the videos from the weekend and she was captivated which made me feel that we were indeed on the right track (my wife doesn’t bullshit!).
: - )
So I’m bouncing back and forth between this and Daniel Cardwell’s book. Making great progress on both.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, Saying Goodbye
June 22, 2009
Corey left his morning and Miss Sweetie and I took him to the airport to say goodbye. Miss Sweetie was very sad to see him go, she was napping in his lap on the way to the airport!
Did we accomplish our goal which was to create a compelling emotional story journey? I believe we did. I think Corey now has at least many of the pieces that will drive his story forward. And with his immense creativity and on-going support, I am certain that his story will come to life and that it’s a story worth being told.
That was the big issue. Do I have a story that anyone wants to hear? Our stories feel important inside because we have lived them but they often feel scary to tell because what if no one cares. The truth is that a story like Corey’s needs to be told because it contains many universal lessons that will allow others to relate to their own lives.
That is the power of story.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, 8
June 21, 2009
From Corey:
This morning started off rough. My inner critic was loud. He called me a wimp. Told me I couldn’t go the distance. Pointed out how much weight I’ve gained since living in LA and that people don’t like to look at a slob on stage. Yes. He was loud.
Over coffee, Annie immediately set me off on a series of exercises. She wanted me to listen to this voice. To let him air his grievances. I wrote them on the page and quickly, he blew his load and then backed off. We could get to work.
We dove into the Believer and then married him to the Doubter. They signed a Ketubah that committed them to one another for life. For better or worse, they were going to stick together forever.
The critic voiced his opinion again and I became heavy rather quickly after we acted out some scenarios between the believer and the doubter. My tendency to sit in my shit was strong, but we decided to power through it. We drove to a coffee shop, looked through some of our videos and started our scripting. Some of it worked. I started to see potential and the critic’s voice dimmed over my shoulder.
We sped off to a light lunch (minestrone and meatball soup and a delightful spinach salad) and then we headed back to Annie’s to continue our scripting. Suddenly it was coming together. Character’s voices were becoming clear. The structure was emerging. It was fun again and the Doubter and the Believer in me were supporting one another.
I loaded all the videos onto my computer and headed back to the hotel for some rest. I called my father and spoke to him for a while. He asked about my trip and what I was doing and that felt good. I’m going to see if I can sleep for an hour before we head out to dinner and then wrap up our night.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, 7
June 21, 2009
A dear friend and Storytelling mentor of mine says that, “Storytelling is a Dangerous Adventure!”
I agree. It’s kind of like falling into another world. You never really know what you’re going to discover or where you’re going to end up.
That’s how it’s been for Corey and I. I had no idea and neither did he that we would end up in this story. I knew even less about it than he did.
But that is what makes this path fun, exciting and a little bit scary, at least to walk it alone. Corey and I have in common several big things. One of them is that we have both dedicated our lives to accompanying people on story journeys. I feel very fortunate to have a creative adventurer like Corey trust me with his story.
If you ask me, it’s turning out really good….even great. I love where it is going and today I actually got up and hugged him while he was performing. It just got me! I was imagining myself as a real audience member and I could totally feel the power of it.
He looked kind of surprised but happy. I think he’s too in it, it’s still too personal to him from the inside for him to have the perspective that I have. But the video helps. My little Flip camera is amazing! I love her! (it’s a she).
It’s been ALOT of work! I’m tuckered out. We have covered an immense amount of ground in only 2 days! I’m not sure if Corey knows that yet. Again he’s too deep in. That’s ok. I’m holding the picture for us both for now.
This afternoon we storyboarded it out and I think he’s seeing the bigger picture now. It’s so fun working with a trained actor because he can do so many things easily with his voice and his body. I was a little worried that I’d have to ‘untrain’ the actor out of him to bring out the storyteller, but we’re working that out really easily. He’s got a great combo in this story of real person and actor. I think it works.
I already want to be sitting in an audience one day soon watching this. Keep your fingers crossed folks that we’ve done it. That we’ve created enough of a story structure that Corey can go home and bring it to life.
We’re not finished yet but I do believe we’ve crossed the great divide! Whew! And besides last night we had Turkish coffee - delicious. What could be better than that.
Last night, we’re going out to celebrate.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, 6
June 21, 2009
From Corey:
Let me start with a Holy Shit. I love it when a plan comes together. I had NO idea what would happen when I flew out to Philly to work with Annie Hart, I just trusted that it was the right thing to do. Today, with Annie’s help, I unlocked a part of myself that had been hiding away, stewing in the juices of his own pain for more than four years now; a crippled part of my former self.
Let’s go back a step. When I was in LA and working in commercials and TV, I was the only one of my friends who didn’t have a day job much of the time. Acting was paying my bills. I was working for a few days a year, auditioning on average once a day and was making a full time salary. Most people would kill to be in that position. And yet I felt lost. I was not emotionally fulfilled. I had not moved out to LA to become a commercial superstar, or play bit roles on TV shows.
Feeling like my so-called success was also an extension of the dreams of my friends and family, I did not feel able to tell them I was miserable. Instead, I slowly fell into smoking pot. Every day. Five to ten times a day. If I was awake I was high. Why?
I had spent nearly ten years working to create. Acting, directing, producing. When I was not working as an actor, I was making movies. The Boy Scout, Gretchen Brettschneider, Unsuitable, Redirect. All of these labors of love. Each taking complete devotion of for a year or more of my life. All of them successes, but all of them failures. Yet I picked myself up after each major lesson learned and dared to dream again.
I was mastering the creative process. I knew how to create cinematic experiences that moved people to laugh, to cry and everything in between…and yet…Hollywood was not coming to me. Despite having been the star of one of the funniest commercials ever created, the big film directors were not coming to my door to ask me to be in their next comedy. Heck, after winning every commercial award, even commercial directors were not banging my door down. Reality was hitting and it was hitting hard. There was another side to all this. The business. And here I had been operating under a misconception for nearly a decade, believing that if I concentrated on my craft everything else would fall into place. I was wrong, and the reality leveled me. I was suddenly faced with the probability that I needed another 10 years to master the business aspect of the industry and I was tired. I was so tired.
I suddenly found myself unable to get out of bed. I woke up, got high and pretended I was happy as I stared at the wall. I went to my auditions, feeling angry every time. I felt alone. I felt betrayed. I was throwing a tantrum and hoping the world would conform to me.
At the first opportunity (though I fought it at the time) I left LA when I got married, to live with my new wife. Only in looking back now can I understand the depression and the need to escape that lifestyle. But what I cannot forget is the loneliness. As I suffered, I suffered in silence. I was the golden boy. How dare I not be happy.
But something happened. The dreamer in me waited by the bed…every day. And the crippled part of me eventually healed enough and was coaxed to try again. I woke up, three years later, a businessman. I took on the challenge that I had refused to undertake in my moments of childlike stubbornness in LA. I mastered the art of the legalities and financial responsibilities of a business owner.
What I am finding most interesting about myself and my business, is that I subconsciously chose to be the caregiver for others who were trying to create. I was alone, feeling like no one believed in me when I was at my worst, and my goal with my work is to always be there for my clients, knowing that it’s going to get tough. The creative process has to get tough in order for something brilliant to be come alive.
When they are afraid, I am there. When they are depressed I am there. When they are victorious I am there. I have become what I missed most myself, a champion of the creative who dares to dream, one who dares to fail and pick himself up again. I am a partner, friend, confidante, caregiver, director and producer of their dreams. I am the believer. I see their potential, challenge them to exceed it, celebrate with them when they do, and sit with them when the outcomes are tough to swallow.
There was nothing exceptional about my personal transformation. It was not unique. Everyone is faced with harsh realities. It’s called growing up. But, while many people choose to go to sleep for the rest of their lives when faced with such adversity, I dared to dream again. To take all of my lessons and stand and fight again. It is that determination I hope to awaken people to with this new presentation.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Corey’s Story Adventure, 5
June 21, 2009
From Corey:
What an immense morning we had. IMMENSE! I met Annie at 7am and we immediately walked to the most charming little coffee house where we grabbed our deliciousness of choice and then sauntered upstairs to a private area next to where they actually store all of their massive bags of beans. Very cool. We sat down and immediately got to work.
Annie asked me questions, wrote down my responses in her “play” book and videotaped some of my stories. We opened up the artistic aspect of my life - what I have learned as a performer and pulled out delightful surprises that I have taken for granted such as 
truth, curiousness and rhythm of language, which I demonstrated by getting up and showing Annie an old exercise I learned in Shakespeare class.
Soon, we were off to breakfast and we chose a simple little place with simple dishes. I had an omelet and Annie had a cup of fruit. Again, we continued our discussions but were soon off to Annie’s place where I met Miss Sweetie, her adorable little miniature dachshund. 
Now this picture is misleading. Miss Sweetie is 10 pounds of tininess. She immediately became my best bud. In fact, later, when Annie did some light hypnosis on me, Miss Sweetie was curled up in my lap (a-do-rable!)
But before I was placed into a trance, we sat at the table and I brought out my drawing pad and started to create my map. It has a heart at the center that said, “Who I am” and then four quadrants thus far: Performer, Businessman, Director, Producer.
We talked out some more of my thoughts into the video camera and then she put me up on my feet to tell snippets of stories to see if I could easily morph into each facet of myself. That was easy and fun.
Then it was time to deal with my inner demon. We discussed that I felt I had only 10% of myself that thought myself powerful, confident and worthy of telling my stories. The other 90% was terrified that I had no credibility. Annie had an idea to lure him out so we could understand him.
So there I am in a big cushy chair with Miss Sweetie in my lap. Annie turned on a musical tone of sorts and sat next to me leading me through a hypnotic exercise. It was incredibly relaxing and I found myself following her voice and making new discoveries. My left hand was this 90% - the doubter. my right was the believer — the role I play in working with all of my clients. My left hand was raised, but anchored, heavy. My right was free, flexible. Over a period of about ten minutes Annie helped me to drop my left hand and release his hold, while floating my right hand up to the sky. Then the most powerful thing happened. She had the 10% of me, the believer visit the doubter. He was ill, crippled even in a bed in Los Angeles. He had been beaten up so badly, over and over again and now he could not walk. Rejection had maimed him.
Annie led me through a series of exercises where me as the believer visited and nurtured me as the doubter. Stuck with him while he expressed his anger. Visited and let him be defeated. Brought him soup on days when he could not raise his eyes from the wall. And a miraculous thing happened. My doubter took a few sips of the soup. On another day he cracked a smile.
Annie challenged me not to shut out my doubter, but to embrace him for a very important reason: he carries my gift. He’s the vulnerable one. He is the side of me with truth to share.
And so it is my role as the believer to protect him. To carry a bat in his defense so that he can feel comfortable venturing out of that room again. So that they can eventually walk around as partners and take responsibility for making a difference in this world. 
We nourished both my believer and my doubter over a delightful lunch where I tried Ginger Brew, Ginger ale for the first time.
And now I am back at my hotel room after a nap, ready to meet again for an evening of play.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
-
Connect With Annie Hart
.png)
.png)
-
Check Out My Blog on Skirt!
