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 […]
“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 […]
As a prisoner of war in Vietnam, Admiral James Stockdale led his men through eight years of torture. Optimism didn’t work, he said. Here’s what did.
“If I’ve learned anything from 12 years of dragging heavy things around cold places, it’s that true real inspiration and true growth only come from adversity and challenge, from stepping away from what is comfortable and familiar and stepping out into the unknown.”
– Ben Saunders, Polar Explorer
In recent years, leaders have learned the value of cognitive science in driving business performance. Thousands of pages have been written on behavioral economics, cognitive psychology and neuroscience. But it would take a lifetime to learn all that research. We’ve distilled twenty five years of science into three kinds of stories, simple to learn and apply.