I guess this could be any number of things but I have one in particular that I am focusing on here. One in particular that I’ve been thinking about more and more. And while I’ll be focusing on this one skill obviously there are plenty of others that are talked about other places on this site or in my books.
This skill could be fighting, something I’ve written quite a bit about and that has made a huge positive impact on my life. It could also be something likes sales and/or copywriting, two things that have put more money in my bank account than just about anything else and delve deep into human psychology. It could also be a million other things but today I’m going to focus on one thing in particular, one skill that has been essential since the dawn of mankind and is missing.
And that skill is storytelling. Not just storytelling in understanding a story has a beginning, middle, and end for bar conversations or to be funnier or anything like that. But storytelling as a deep craft that connects man with the cosmos or the eternal and something more. A skill that can inspire great action and literally change the world.
The Most Powerful Skill
I recently listened to a lecture given by Jonathan Gottschall who wrote The Storytelling Animal at a Tedx conference (not a place you’ll usually find me listening to) but he brought up an interesting point during the lecture (which I’m sure is covered in the book which I have on the way) that he called “The Will & Grace” effect. To make a long story short Will & Grace is an America TV show that portrays gays in a positive light.
Now I’m not here to make a political statement simply to state some facts. There were some studies done on people who watched Will & Grace and found time and time again that they became more accepting of homosexuality from watching the show. Now it doesn’t take a genius to figure out all the ways in which this used and the profound effect that this has on society at large (talking about the Will & Grace Effect as a whole not just this example).
Take anything, say honor, and throw it into a story and you can make changes in the perception of that thing in the eyes of the people as a whole. I used to think sales, copywriting, and “persuasion” were the most powerful tools for controlling society and the masses (combined with mass distribution systems like TV, news, etc.) but now I know that it’s story and it’s been this way since the beginning.
Literally Shape The World Around You
Stories shape the culture and society around us. There is a reason (many actually) that stories have always been part of human cultures and tribes. We’ve always needed them on a spiritual level just as much as we’ve always needed oxygen on a physical level. Stories shape who we are on a deep level. As I’ve said before you’ll learn more and change more from one good fiction book then you will from 10 non-fiction ones.
This took me awhile to understand but once I did it changed things quite a bit. I’m not saying we all need to (or could) become professional novelists or anything of the sort. Just that understanding the power of storytelling and basics surrounding it and its effect on the world around us pays back dividends.
For all those that complain about the world around them understand that while there are many things that one can do to help change it (starting with oneself) either setting out to tell the stories that need to be told or sharing those that do tell those stories is one of the best things that you can do.
Become A Storyteller
And share and tell the stories that need to be told. This is one thing I’ve tried to do with my fiction for men series and something that I hope to continue to do into the future. Myths and stories are critical to us. They connect us that which is beyond just the material world but also in a weird way root us in a healthy way to it. So become a storyteller, or share those that tell the right ones, and watch the world around you change because of it.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
