the spark of life
Anthropologists point to fire as the key to the survival of humans. It allowed us to eat better, keep us warm, make things, and be used as a way to pull cultures together.
Fire wasn't just a way to keep the animals at bay at night, it was a means of extending the day. It gave people a chance to sit around after a long day of farming/hunting and to just talk with one another. More importantly, it gave a means for storytelling.
In a recent article I read, it says social anthropologists believe storytelling made up 80-90% of the fireside conversations of our ancestors. That makes sense, considering any fire I ever sat around was a way to connect with another person. Most likely the beer played a big factor, but every fire I have ever been around lead to someone telling a story.
Stories are the gateway into people's lives. It's our way of getting to know people, figuring out if we like them or not, and deciding if we trust them.
YOUR STORY is how you find your audience and it's how your audience ultimately finds you. The greatest directors, authors, musicians, actors, communicators, leaders, and entrepreneurs in the world have one thing in common: They are all great storytellers. To be a great storyteller, you have to first proud of the story you share.
Everyday, I am constantly trying to become a better communicator (in person, on social media, in books, in music, etc). Through constant practice and never ending research, I see myself inch towards my goal slowly but surely. What I have learned from studying the great storytellers like Winston Churchill, Richard Branson, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Steve Jobs (just to name a few), is nothing you do will inspire anyone else UNLESS it inspires you first. Nobody finds their story. They create it. They write it. They live it.
The spark of life doesn't come from a flame. It starts with a story.
You want freedom? You want to stand for something meaningful? You want change the world?
Be proud of your story... and let everyone know it.
Happy 4th of July everyone,
Mike Fallat
