A few years ago I was invited to speak at a fundraiser dinner for the Cal State University, San Bernardino School of Business.  Hosted by the Ontario Convention Center, it was an event highlighting social entrepreneurs in the area, with the thematic title, “Start Something That Matters”.

I was flattered to be invited.

But as I dug a little deeper into the layout of the evening, a few thoughts began to emerge:

 

“Start Something That Matters” is the title of Blake Mycoskie’s book about his amazing journey with Tom’s Shoes, with an emphasis on other social enterprises that have been highly successful, while at the same time, doing good for society.

I found out later that there were only two of us speaking at this event, and that the other person was Dale Partridge, from the t-shirt company Sevenly.  Dale was recently featured on the front page of the LA Times Business section, the article highlighting his amazing company vision and all the global charities they have been able to help out.

As the planning for the event began to evolve, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit intimidated.  It felt like lofty company to be included in, and I wasn’t sure how I would fit in to such a dynamic program for the event…

I’ll spare the play by play of the evening, but Dale’s presentation was absolutely fantastic.  I found it completely engaging, incredibly insightful, and wonderfully inspirational.

And quite intimidating to follow.

After applause and a short break, it was my turn to take the podium.

I got up, took a deep breath, and started sharing my thoughts:

I have been pondering the concept of Story for several years now.  What is it about Story that seems to resonate so deeply with humanity over the centuries?

When we look at the arc of human culture, one of the common threads we see is Story.  When ancient peoples used to sit around the fire at night, they would tell stories—stories of their hunting exploits of the day, perhaps embellished a bit for dramatic effect; stories of their ancestors; stories of how they as a people overcame adversity in order to settle in their current locales.

As the medium of storytelling began to evolve, we see petroglyphs, and then ultimately the written word.  Great stories were suddenly able to be preserved for future generations, from the Greek epics, up to current novels.

 

As a culture, we then moved to film as a popular medium for storytelling, and then finally on to modern-day storytelling, through blogs, Facebook, and Twitter.

Which raises the question:

What is it about Story that has endured throughout all generations of all humanity?

The great stories, the ones that really last, seem to have a few things in common:

Great stories evoke wonder and awe. 

Think of the image of a little boy sitting on his bed reading his first fairy tale—dragons and castles and knights and adventure.  His eyes open to the possibility of something other out there; something different and far more fantastic than anything he has ever seen or imagined before.

The princess in the castle watching the battle unfold before her, knowing implicitly that the battle is for her—the forces of good combating those of evil with Good’s mission of rescuing her and whisking her away to green fields filled with tranquil breezes and warm sunshine while her lover caresses her face…

Great stories open hearts and stir passions.

Think of some recent epic movies—Braveheart or Gladiator, for example.  The stories stir something in us—something that wants to go all in for some great cause, something far beyond us, something greater.

Or the epic relational movies like Titanic that speak to the importance of loving and being loved, of the notion that everything else pales in comparison to that single human need.

The deal is this:  Stories aren’t just for novelists, or screenwriters, or painters.  Stories are for us.

Because we all tell stories.

Our lives are one ongoing story—complete with characters, conflict, resolution, joy, pain, sorrow, conquest.

Our lives are stories, and our audience is our circle:  Our families, our friends, our co-workers, our children.

As a business owner, our business is a story too, with an audience of our customers, our employees, and our communities.

Think about the great businesses that evoke wonder and awe.  Imagine our world without Apple or Disney.  They have both mastered that component of Story, and have created dynasties because of it.

Think about the businesses who stir passions and open hearts.  Look at the social and economic success of Tom’s Shoes, or of Sevenly.  Notice how those businesses stir something in each of us, asking tough questions and causing us to re-think enterprise.

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Now—I like to write, and I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with published authors.  Two of these authors even made the New York Times Best-Seller’s list.

When I’m in a conversation with a published author, I always find myself asking, what’s the secret?  What’s the secret to good writing?  Is it discipline?  Is it waking up at 5am each day?  Is it the type of coffee you drink?

Is it busting through the wall that inhibits creativity?  Is it putting yourself in front of others so you can observe their behavior and write about it?  Is it throwing yourself in isolation so you are distraction-free?

What’s the secret to good writing?

 The answer that I get, across the board, is surprising in its simplicity:

"Tell a good story"

That’s it.  Just tell a good story.

It’s simple.  And it’s beautiful.

And it got me thinking:  If our lives are stories, if our businesses are stories, then what kind of stories are we telling?

I started thinking about life, about business:  If it’s that simple, if it all boils down to that single concept, then it’s easy.  We can do this.  I can do this.

We can tell a good story.

And then I said thank you and sat down.