Thread by @ArmaniTalks

Best ways to learn storytelling:

Read fiction

Break down movies

Journal about your life experiences

The whole world was built on the back of storytelling

'But it's so difficult to learn!'

Not at all. You tell stories all the time

Just need to polish your skills 👇

First of all, you need to learn that a story is intangible, not tangible..

Growing up, we heard a lot of stories that began with 'once upon a time.'

Or we heard stories around a campfire.

This made a story seem like a special event

It can be a special event.

But it's more than that.

'What do you mean?'

You need to make it a communication HABIT.

All stories don't need mythical characters.

And you don't need to gather everyone in a circle to deliver a story.

In reality, you can deliver it whenever.

But first, need to learn WHAT a story is.

A story is a connection of ideas.

A story is a connection of ideas.

A story is a connection of ideas.

Idea + Transition + Idea + Transition...

This thread is a story.

And if you break it down...

Your thought process is a story.

You have a connection of ideas that goes on in your mind

People who feel really stressed out, have ideas which are disjointed in their mind.

All over the place.

And a story that is all over the place leads to a faulty narrative.

Picture the last time you heard a bad story from a co worker.

A whole lot of disjointed ideas.

A whole lot of talking.

But you didn't get the POINT.

You ended up leaving with a headache.

Storytellers wield power because they can control minds.

A well versed storyteller doesn't have disjointed ideas.

They transition smoothly from idea to idea.

And that captures the mind of others.

Once you invest in the storytelling skillset, you'll start thinking differently.

You'll have a lot of random thoughts as most humans do.

But you know which ones to TUNE into. And which ones to avoid.

You'll develop a storytellers mindset.

Powerful.

To invest in this skill, here are 3 basics:

☆Read fiction

☆Break down movies

☆Journal about your life experiences

Let's go thru each one

☆Read fiction

You're turning words into out of world images for your brain

Your brain cannot distinguish imagined from reality

Fiction books stretch the mind into new heights

My favorite fiction books are:

Dune
Harry Potter Series
Goosebumps

Pick whatever.

View it as a workout for the imagination

One of your most potent weapons

☆Break Down Movies

Every scene in a movie was strategically placed their for a reason

Armies of storytellers, screen writers, producers thought the scene was necessary.

Why?

Ask yourself that when you're watching a movie.

My favorite movies are:

Interstellar
Lion king
Shutter island

When you ask WHY, as you watch, you see the movie from a new lens.

☆Journal About Life Experiences

Your whole life is a story when you really think about it.

You have the 3 main components of stories:

Character - You
Conflict- Tough times in your life
Resolution- Lessons learned

This one makes you an active CREATOR of your life & shift your paradigm to how you want it

'I can shift my paradigm?'

Ya you can.

Let me give you an example.

2 years ago, I got in a very bad car accident.

Car was totalled.

Wasn't supposed to survive.

But I did.

At first, I was miserable.

My precious car broke. Had to deal with the accident aftermath. Burning thru money etc.

The narrative I set for myself was of a loser.

After some time, decided to journal.

And that's when I realized, i wasn't FINISHING the story.

I was just talking about the conflict & that was it.

But what was the resolution.

Finish the story....

So I wrote all the lessons learned.

A few included:

Life isn't fair, it's neutral
Gym helps during dark times
Start a business with your free time
Always stay alert on the road

Etc

The mere act of listing the resolutions (lessons) COMPLETELY shifted my perspective of the event.

Nowadays, I'm glad I went thru that.

So we have a lot of chapters in our life which make up a bigger story.

And that creates the narrative of our life.

Storytelling is the most valuable skillset you can pick up because it allows you to:

☆Control your life narrative.
☆Influence others by accident.

The future belongs to storytellers.

Apply the tips of reading fiction, breaking down movies, and journaling about your experiences.

That's how you learn the art of connecting ideas.

Control your narrative or someone else will do it for you.

And they probably won't have your best interests In mind

So take matter into your own hands.

For more practical tips on storytelling, follow @ArmaniTalks