You're More Than You Can Ever Be

When we only pay attention to the exception above the normal, we end up misunderstanding reality. While there is much to learn from the anomalies, it would be a mistake to expect the same results from doing the same things. 

Survivorship bias leads us to think that coincidence is a correlation. We want the encouragement from survivorship bias so we can believe in our own capabilities, but it results in an inflated idea of how people become successful.

The fact is that success is never guaranteed. It does not mean that we shouldn't try, just that we should have a realistic understanding.

The bodily symptoms of this strange appearance point to three dimensions:

• Sensory: The marvelous things take hold of our senses - we stare and widen our eyes.
• Cognitive: We are perplexed because we don't have a past experience to understand them. It leads to a suspension of breath, similar to when we are startled.
• Spiritual: We look upwards in veneration, which makes our heart swell.

At the mild end of this emotion, we talk about things being marvelous. More intense emotions might be described as astonishing. The extreme of this experiences is met with expressions of awe.

You need to have a beginning that builds to a middle and an ending, or at least an idea of where you’re going, as it is key to explore your themes and foreshadow things properly.

Another important thing is to revise your writings. Your first draft is likely to contain multiple errors, poorly phrased sections, and inconsistencies.

To do it, you must know what your audience expects from the type of writing you’re doing and then defy it.

Without the surprise, without the twist, if you don’t pull the wool over the audience’s eyes, then it’s unlikely you’re going to be memorable. It’s precisely the fact that things are not what they seem that makes a story interesting.

Horror movie tip: Most horror movie bad guys are very slow but watch where you step so you don’t trip. Simply maintaining a brisk walking pace after sighting the enemy should be enough to get to safety.

Real world parallel: Spend time leveling up your sprinting skills. It builds strength, power, VO2max, endurance and quality of life while also helping you lose weight if paired with a healthy diet.

Horror movie tip: the unintelligent and unprepared often die in movies, so get smarter, train yourself and learn how to use tools and new skills.

Real world parallel: take a tactical approach to both your training and your behavior. Train functionally so that your body is prepared to function. Use your environment, your body weight and free weights to exercise. will give you a better body and the best chance for survival.

• The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts. Mastering your mind means seeing setbacks as opportunities. 
• Occupy your mind with uplifting thoughts, because they will give you the energy you'll need to attain the success you desire.

• Visualize your goal.
• Keep yourself positively motivated.
• Make a deadline.
• Take steps daily.
• Laugh along the way.

• Suspense and “cliffhangers” allow you to create an addictive narrative;
• Creating detailed imagery;
• Using literary techniques for turning simple stories into memorable works of art.
• Change made easier by providing an example.
  

• Delivery: matters as much as the content.
• Imagery:  the brain “lights up” in reacting to imagery, truly transporting the reader to the events being described. 
• Realism: poeple need a “human” element in the story that is easy for them to imagine.
• Structure: people prefer stories that follow a logical manner.
• Context: significant impact on the persuasiveness of a story.
• Audience: determine who you don’t want reading your content along with who you do.

Suspending reality is a powerful storytelling technique as it creates a safe, magical world in which to contend with powerful emotions and themes, and it allows the viewer or listener to be transported and associate that escape from reality with the story.

Anything is possible and that becomes inspiration.

Disney stories have a near universal appeal because they are designed around struggles and desires that are common to humans everywhere.

You can apply this message to storytelling in your company, too. When you’re communicating with your customers, you should focus on the shared experiences and desires that make your product so valuable.