Wednesday, October 31, 2012

There's a story in everything...

Rocinante, camper truck in which Steinbeck tra...... and in any place and at any time.

I coincidentally met Trek today, a man aptly named for he has spent most of his life living up to his name: months living in the desert alone, a year of driving the States, and other adventures throughout the world. I made the one block walk down to my office away from my office, a coffee shop I can nearly hit with a strong throw of a stone, whereas he'd driven more than 26,000 miles to get to the same place.

For nearly half an hour our kindred souls danced to the music of the things we've done, things we're doing, and things we plan to do, the latter with an exacting focus on the "now." We were two storytellers talking about the ability to find good stories in everything, everywhere, and at any time--in the small towns on the road, in the faces of the clouds or the trees, in the conversations at middle-of-nowhere gas pumps... and in the products, processes, and people of companies.

It easy to think your day's mundane work is uninteresting, but to someone else the things you do are magical. A college professor once told me that there is at least one thing to learn from every person you meet, and I have never found his words to be untrue.

I challenge you to find a good story to tell from the daily things you do, be it from the passion you put into repetitive work or the handshakes you extend as a measure of personal policy or the notes you attached to every purchase as heartfelt thanks.

Stories are everywhere, and they want to be told. Tell 'em!

And I recommend this gentleman's story: The Good in America.

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