Story of the Week, Bad Story Snippet, #1
July 28, 2009
I’ve always had the urge to bend the rules! I’m the kind of person that runs with scissors. I’ve been known to laugh outloud inappropriately at a stuffy tennis match and I even cut that tag off my mattress. You know the one that says, ‘By Penalty of Law, Do Not Remove!’
Some years ago, a young client from England said to me, “Thanks for taking my problems and spinning them on their heads.” I loved that. That’s what I’m good at, spinning a new light on things.
In my creative work, I’ve always had the urge to not make everything so neat, perfect or pretty. In my creativity workshops, I would hand the group a list of rules and the last one said, “Be willing to bend, alter, or totally toss these rules.” In other words, in the creative domain, leave the rules behind!
I always wanted to do a workshop called, “Bad Creativity”, where you purposefully try to create your worst work! How liberating and fun that would be. I can imagine us rolling with laughter. So in honor of the ‘bad’ creativity inside of all of us, I’ve created a series called, “Bad Story Snippets.” I had alot of fun writing them. Feel free to add your own bad creativity to them if you want.
And by the way, go cut that tag off your mattress, right now ok?
So here is the first in the Bad Story Snippet Series, please enjoy!
Misery Hates Company
“How to Get Rid of those Sickeningly Sweet, Know-it-all Friends Who are Trying to Make You Happy”
Ok, admit it, when you’re feeling miserable the last thing you want is someone trying to pull you out of it with their sickeningly sweet do-gooder spiritualisms. That’s because misery doesn’t want company, it wants a victim and you are it. Misery loves to wallow in the mud, lash out in senseless anger and blame everyone and anyone for your problems. Let’s face it misery likes itself just the way it is. It is not open to being prodded or jabbed by people who think you should be other than terribly unhappy. What is so awful about being miserable anyway? It’s just so darned annoying that people can’t accept you miserably, just the way you are.
Featured Story Expert, Annie Hart
July 26, 2009
Thank you to Kathy Hansen, who has featured me on her blog as one of her 40 Story Experts. These interviews will also be part of her upcoming free e-book, so if you’re interested go on her blog and sign up soon!
Kathy is creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers. She is an educator, author, and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers and blogs about storytelling at A Storied Career. Her most recent book, “Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career,” was published in April.
I enjoyed answering the questions. It really gave me a chance to remember what I really care about and why I love storytelling so much. I hope you enjoy the interview, let me know if you do, and tell all your friends.
Here’s the link below:
http://astoriedcareer.com/annie_hart_qa.html
How Stories Change the World
May 29, 2009
- Plus Ultra – there’s more beyond
If you want to know how stories truly change the world, read this:
Plus Ultra – “There’s More Beyond”
Plus ultra is Latin for further beyond or more beyond. It is the national motto of Spain, adopted from the personal motto of Charles V of Spain.
The origin of the motto is closely associated with the Pillars of Hercules, which according to Roman mythology were built by Hercules, near the Straits of Gibraltar, which marked the edge of the known world. According to mythology the pillars bore the warning “Non plus ultra, ” – nothing further beyond, serving as a warning to sailors and navigators to go no further.
It is believed that the young Charles V adopted Plus ultra as his motto at the suggestion of his doctor and personal advisor Luigi Marliano. The idea was to encourage him to ignore the ancient warning and encourage him to take risks and go further beyond.
The motto was used to encourage Spanish explorers to go beyond the Pillars of Hercules and on to the New World.
Annie’s comments: I love this story because it shows us how stories literally create the ground we stand on. Often when I say that stories change the world, I imagine that some people are thinking, “Oh there she goes again with her big thinking about the world.”
But it’s true.
Stories literally change our reality and thus change our future. If the King of Spain hadn’t been advised by his wise Italian doctor (of course he was Italian!), then we might not be here today. Because the Pillars of Hercules were thought to be the end of the known world, this one statement that there’s more beyond, literally opened up King Charles thinking and thus opened the gates to the new world.
Before this time, people literally believed and told the story that there was no more beyond. Lucky for us he took the risk and changed the story!
How does this play out in our own lives? Where are we believing in what the world tells us about reality? Do we believe everything the news tells us for example?
I used this story to inspired a group of business people several months ago and asked them this question – “Do you want to stop yourselves at the edge of the known world (meaning just what the media tells us for example), or do you want to go beyond and create a new reality?
Without this story, it would have been hard, if not impossible to impress upon them the power of our thinking to create our reality.
Is this just positive thinking or is it actually how we shape our future? You decide. Try it for yourself. Take on this motto for a day and see what happens to your reality.
Every time you find something that you think can’t be done, just pretend that you’re at the edge of your known world, at your own personal Pillars of Hercules. Then say to yourself, “there’s more beyond.” Or if you like to sound fancy, feel free to bandy about the phrase “Plus Ultra”. It definitely sounds like you’re in the know.
I’m thankful for all of the stories that have shaped our world, and allow me to sail new seas everyday.
Who knows what new seas you might sail into. Let me know what happens.
Mother’s Day – Story For My Mom
May 10, 2009
When I was a little girl my mother used to take me for wonderful walks in the woods. I especially remember the springtime with the beautiful flowering spring beauties, the May apples and the Jack in the Pulpit that were all native flowers in my woods.
My mom would take me to our special spot which was the stump of a fallen tree and I would get up on it and tell her stories. My mother listened as if these were the most important stories in the world.
That was a beautiful beginning to my storytelling and an enchanting setting that I will always remember.
To my mom who was the original Storyteller in our family. Thanks for all the ways you supported my self-expression.
Video of the Week – Justin Visits the Pillars of Hercules
May 9, 2009
I don’t personally know Justin, but I love traveling with him to visit the Pillars of Hercules!
Stories From the Heart of the Cosmos
May 8, 2009
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