In this article we will be exploring how and where we can find compelling stories. One way to look at things is that if the stories we find are the grist, then the story-learning process would be the mill.
Here are 6 places to look for compelling stories:
1. In the events which happen to us on a daily basis
2. In the books we come across as we read and explore over a range of topics
3. In what is said to us by friends, family and strangers
4. In the dreams we have when we are asleep at night
5. In our daydreams which occur from time to time during the day
6. In the utterances of the media whether it is from newspapers, radio or TV
Let's explore a couple of these sources in greater detail in order to flesh out the "how" of learning from these stories, once we've found them.
Events which happen to us on a daily basis
A few days ago I met up with a friend of mine who I had been promising to meet up with for quite some time.
He happens to work about 5 minutes from where I do so meeting up was a snap.
I had it all worked out as to where we were going to go. We would ride the underground rail system to London Kings Cross where we would have a coffee and catch up on things.
My friend had other ideas and was quite determined to carry them out. He insisted that we have a good 15 minute walk to a station considerably further than the one I had in mind.
Then just before getting there we stopped at a health food outlet which also had a seating area.
Instead of coffees we had freshly made juice and some nuts.
I actually found the change in routine refreshing and then and there vowed to also form the habit of at least occasionally deliberately walking to a further station to get in some exercise.
I also decided to cut back on coffee and drink more fresh juices which made me feel better. If we keep our eyes open we will soon learn to catch the story in many seemingly mundane and insignificant event in our lives.
So here we have a seemingly simple event which is packed with lessons in how to improve our health. But without the Story-learners attitude we could easily miss the lesson. We could miss the story.
Finding the stories in our night-time dreams
A lot has been written about the symbols encountered in our night-time dreams. I'm not really going to try to add much more to this. However one idea which I do embrace is the suggestion that we all have our own personal customized symbols.
For example seeing a barking dog in my dreams has always been a signal from my subconscious to beware of potential danger. Hence i do believe that this barking-dog symbol is customized to my needs as part of the vocabulary which my subconscious uses to communicate with the more conscious part of myself.
One night I had a dream which in hindsight I found quite funny. I was in a food canteen back at my old university. I was at the front of a queue being served a portion of rice and chicken. After serving up a reasonably sized mound the cook asked me if the helping was sufficient. In the dream I said no. Could I have some more please?
The cook smiled and doubled the portion size. The people behind me also found it funny as there was some snickering in the background. I woke up from the dream as I was walking back to one of the dining tables to tuck in.
At about 3 am in the morning I lay awake reflecting on the meaning of this dream. What was the story here? Gradually it dawned on me that this was a mini-story about my current dietary habits which were proving to be a source of chronic constipation. The insight here was a need to cut back on starchy foods. Soon after I took this measure my constipation abated.
Frances Ade has a passion for learning via writing and storytelling.
In order to facilitate this he is constantly on the lookout for tips and techniques which writers can use to increase there productivity.
Find out more about how to learn from stories by visiting http://www.stories-to-learn-from.com
By Frances Ade
Here are 6 places to look for compelling stories:
1. In the events which happen to us on a daily basis
2. In the books we come across as we read and explore over a range of topics
3. In what is said to us by friends, family and strangers
4. In the dreams we have when we are asleep at night
5. In our daydreams which occur from time to time during the day
6. In the utterances of the media whether it is from newspapers, radio or TV
Let's explore a couple of these sources in greater detail in order to flesh out the "how" of learning from these stories, once we've found them.
Events which happen to us on a daily basis
A few days ago I met up with a friend of mine who I had been promising to meet up with for quite some time.
He happens to work about 5 minutes from where I do so meeting up was a snap.
I had it all worked out as to where we were going to go. We would ride the underground rail system to London Kings Cross where we would have a coffee and catch up on things.
My friend had other ideas and was quite determined to carry them out. He insisted that we have a good 15 minute walk to a station considerably further than the one I had in mind.
Then just before getting there we stopped at a health food outlet which also had a seating area.
Instead of coffees we had freshly made juice and some nuts.
I actually found the change in routine refreshing and then and there vowed to also form the habit of at least occasionally deliberately walking to a further station to get in some exercise.
I also decided to cut back on coffee and drink more fresh juices which made me feel better. If we keep our eyes open we will soon learn to catch the story in many seemingly mundane and insignificant event in our lives.
So here we have a seemingly simple event which is packed with lessons in how to improve our health. But without the Story-learners attitude we could easily miss the lesson. We could miss the story.
Finding the stories in our night-time dreams
A lot has been written about the symbols encountered in our night-time dreams. I'm not really going to try to add much more to this. However one idea which I do embrace is the suggestion that we all have our own personal customized symbols.
For example seeing a barking dog in my dreams has always been a signal from my subconscious to beware of potential danger. Hence i do believe that this barking-dog symbol is customized to my needs as part of the vocabulary which my subconscious uses to communicate with the more conscious part of myself.
One night I had a dream which in hindsight I found quite funny. I was in a food canteen back at my old university. I was at the front of a queue being served a portion of rice and chicken. After serving up a reasonably sized mound the cook asked me if the helping was sufficient. In the dream I said no. Could I have some more please?
The cook smiled and doubled the portion size. The people behind me also found it funny as there was some snickering in the background. I woke up from the dream as I was walking back to one of the dining tables to tuck in.
At about 3 am in the morning I lay awake reflecting on the meaning of this dream. What was the story here? Gradually it dawned on me that this was a mini-story about my current dietary habits which were proving to be a source of chronic constipation. The insight here was a need to cut back on starchy foods. Soon after I took this measure my constipation abated.
Frances Ade has a passion for learning via writing and storytelling.
In order to facilitate this he is constantly on the lookout for tips and techniques which writers can use to increase there productivity.
Find out more about how to learn from stories by visiting http://www.stories-to-learn-from.com
By Frances Ade
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