Susan Spencer Wendell started her greatest story on the day her doctor told her she was going to die. As they drove home from the doctor’s office, both of them numb and speechless in shock, Susan’s husband announced that he needed something to eat. He fled into the Burger King. Susan found herself standing outside […]
Most of us spent most of 2018 talking about how terrible the world was, because our eyes were open and we saw the horrors. Children in cages. Cities under siege from tsunamis and hurricanes, while our President bragged about the size of his nuclear button on Twitter. This is a new year. And I’m […]
You want some evidence on how stories can create the future? Let’s look at the economy for a minute. We tend to believe that the economy is about numbers, and economic indicators. It’s not emotional. It’s rational and logical. But the truth is, we’re wrong. The economy is a story we tell, just like any […]
Most of us who’ve been skiing, rafting, or even bicycling know this experience: you have an open path ahead of you and a single obstacle to avoid. You focus on that obstacle–maybe a tree or a rock–and tell yourself to go around it, only to find yourself running straight into it (often at full-speed). After picking yourself up, […]
“The times we’re moving in now, people are so focused on the darkness. Every time I find myself being pulled into these conversations about how negative things are – “Did you see what else he [Trump] did?’ – if you just shifted all that energy to focus on the light, amazing things would start to show up for us. These so-called dark times that we’re living in are an opportunity for it.”
– Oprah Winfrey, reminding us that success starts with the story you tell
“Small shifts in mindset can trigger a cascade of changes so profound that they test the limits of what seems possible…. Changing our minds can be a catalyst for all the other changes we want to make in our lives. But first, we may need to convince ourselves that such a change is possible.”
– Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress
In 2018, we’re all feeling a bit lost. But these seven words, distilled from twenty-five years and thousands of pages of research, can help to reset our sense of direction.
Our current President can pick a fight like nobody’s business. And we can’t stop paying attention. Our brains are wired to tune in whenever we sense a conflict. It’s something every brand can learn from. Here’s how to turn the neuroscience of conflict to your own advantage.
Delta and Dick’s both took action against the NRA. DIck’s was braver. And because of how they told their story, they’re likely to see a lot more positive impact. Here’s the science of what they did right.
I belong to a small church choir. Our choir director, V, describes our talents thusly: “We don’t sing because we’re ready. We sing because it’s Sunday morning at 11 am.” Recently, our hopeful but hapless choir attempted to learn to hum. This is harder than it sounds! We were performing a spiritual, and there was […]