April 30, 2025
914. Are Your Story-telling Or Story-selling?
Today, I am rocking out of Bryan Eisenberg's new book, "I Think I Swallowed An Elephant," and it is about storytelling vs. story-selling.
We are wired to tell stories. The question is, what kind of story are you telling? Your narrative navigates your life. Where it leads is up to you.
Today, I'm challenging you to story-sell, don't just story-tell.
Get a copy of his book on Amazon.
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Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough.
WEBVTT
00:00:01.379 --> 00:00:05.070
You know we are hardwired for storytelling.
00:00:06.750 --> 00:00:07.259
We are.
00:00:08.730 --> 00:00:14.308
In his new book, I think I swallowed an elephant author, Bryan Eisenberg.
00:00:15.558 --> 00:00:29.893
writes that your brain is wired for storytelling, but the question is, are the stories that you're telling leading to success?
00:00:32.445 --> 00:00:44.463
See, you have to think of yourself as a brand and to Bryan's point, if you wanna grow your brand, then you must create a story that others wanna be a part of.
00:00:45.334 --> 00:00:48.963
And it's the kind of story that they tell themselves when they think about you.
00:00:50.618 --> 00:00:51.938
How do you wanna be thought of?
00:00:52.807 --> 00:00:57.427
It's all dependent on how you tell a story.
00:00:58.448 --> 00:01:10.927
See, everybody's a storyteller, but most people tell stories that consist of the three Ps, people, problems, or politics.
00:01:11.647 --> 00:01:12.578
It's what they talk about.
00:01:12.697 --> 00:01:13.808
They talk about others.
00:01:15.097 --> 00:01:30.623
They talk about their personal problems, or they talk about administrations, governments, if they were king for a day, this is what they would do, but here's the problem, what they're not doing, And they get trapped in this loop.
00:01:32.018 --> 00:01:33.397
Of telling that story.
00:01:34.507 --> 00:01:47.138
And if you think back to, I mean, go back to when you were a kid, You didn't complain, you didn't talk about people, politics or problems.
00:01:48.397 --> 00:01:50.138
All you were trying to do is just play.
00:01:50.768 --> 00:01:53.858
Even if you were grounded and you were confined to your room.
00:01:54.578 --> 00:02:04.268
You may have complained for a few minutes, but after that you just adjusted and figured out how to play by yourself, and you made a day out of it.
00:02:05.317 --> 00:02:14.768
But somewhere along the way, probably as responsibilities started mounting up and you had to pay your own way through the world.
00:02:15.397 --> 00:02:22.657
You had rent, car note insurance, and what started off as minor annoyances.
00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:37.419
Now you're just perpetually talking about people, politics, and your own personal problems, and that's all you talk about.
00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:41.169
You probably don't even realize this.
00:02:41.169 --> 00:02:45.069
As I was writing this this morning and really giving it reflection, I was like.
00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:47.889
Man, pay attention to what you're talking about.
00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:53.020
Pay attention to the kind of stories that you're telling.
00:02:54.349 --> 00:03:04.616
, the line that grabbed me and just maybe just run with this whole thought, was, does your storytelling lead to success?
00:03:05.366 --> 00:03:10.225
Basically, does your storytelling lead to your desired outcome?
00:03:12.175 --> 00:03:13.045
See, you're stuck.
00:03:13.510 --> 00:03:14.741
Because of your stories.
00:03:15.971 --> 00:03:22.901
And if you'll change the ongoing narrative, you'll change the eventual outcome.
00:03:24.735 --> 00:03:28.156
See, there's traditional storytelling, which is what most people do.
00:03:29.265 --> 00:03:35.695
They talk about people, politics, problems, they absolve themselves of any responsibility.
00:03:36.895 --> 00:03:43.855
So that's the traditional storytelling, or you can move into something more productive.
00:03:45.221 --> 00:03:48.116
It's storytelling, but with a twist.
00:03:49.105 --> 00:03:50.156
It's story selling.
00:03:51.335 --> 00:03:58.419
See, you should be selling a story all the time not only to yourself, but others who are around you.
00:03:59.485 --> 00:04:00.354
Story selling.
00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:06.580
Sets standards and becomes standards for you to live by.
00:04:07.252 --> 00:04:08.722
And I love story selling.
00:04:09.241 --> 00:04:11.171
Because, see, selling is active.
00:04:11.532 --> 00:04:13.361
It requires your participation.
00:04:13.602 --> 00:04:20.242
It requires a lot of effort, so you'll put in a lot of effort but it's not a hundred percent.
00:04:21.612 --> 00:04:32.591
You're selling a hundred percent of the time, but the result shake out more like 30, 40%, but in that 30 or 40% more than compensates.
00:04:33.206 --> 00:04:41.997
For the other 70% that you put in there, because you're building skill sets, know-how, collaboration connections, you're building these things.
00:04:41.997 --> 00:04:44.127
Commitment, all kinds of different things.
00:04:45.447 --> 00:04:48.956
So you can't do that when you're just storytelling.
00:04:48.956 --> 00:04:51.146
Storytelling by itself is passive.
00:04:51.146 --> 00:04:59.067
It's easy to just point the finger that person's the problem that administration's the problem.
00:04:59.711 --> 00:05:02.382
Man, lemme tell you about all the hardships I've had.
00:05:02.591 --> 00:05:04.601
Lemme tell you about my ongoing problems right now.
00:05:04.781 --> 00:05:06.401
Lemme tell you about the unfairness.
00:05:07.362 --> 00:05:08.351
That's storytelling.
00:05:08.351 --> 00:05:09.372
That's a passive sport.
00:05:09.372 --> 00:05:25.002
Yeah, it's easy to say that, but the story selling requires you to put in the effort and so you're constantly selling a story of desires, of goals, of possibilities, of outcomes.
00:05:25.737 --> 00:05:29.346
Of projects, of visions, that's what you're selling.
00:05:29.377 --> 00:05:33.666
That's what story selling is versus just traditional storytelling.
00:05:35.264 --> 00:05:46.843
Everything that comes outta your mouth should be selling a story to yourself and to others that you're gonna figure out a way to succeed.
00:05:47.293 --> 00:05:51.074
And lemme tell you something, when you continuously tell this story.
00:05:51.689 --> 00:05:57.509
Of desires, of possibilities, of projects, of dreams, of goals.
00:05:57.778 --> 00:06:02.879
When you're telling that story all the time, and that's all you talk about, the wrong people.
00:06:03.298 --> 00:06:10.348
The people that only want to talk about gossip and don't want to talk about growth, they'll fade away.
00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:16.704
They don't want to be around you because you're talking about movement forward.
00:06:18.129 --> 00:06:19.899
And shit, they're just stuck in the past.
00:06:21.668 --> 00:06:26.139
When you're story selling, you're figuring out a way to be a success.
00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:30.019
That's what you're selling success.
00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:33.319
And success is a mixture of both wins and losses.
00:06:33.858 --> 00:06:41.149
You need the wins to push you through these losses to keep going, but you also need the losses.
00:06:41.884 --> 00:06:50.194
To improve your skills, your know-how, your efficiencies, so that way you can win again, but at a higher level.
00:06:51.994 --> 00:06:54.334
Now, it doesn't mean that you're not gonna get stuck.
00:06:54.634 --> 00:06:55.593
You're gonna get stuck.
00:06:55.653 --> 00:06:56.824
You're gonna get blindsided.
00:06:57.124 --> 00:07:00.903
There are gonna be times where you just don't have any answers.
00:07:01.834 --> 00:07:10.778
But no matter what, when you're facing these challenges, when you have the mindset of storytelling through story selling.
00:07:12.499 --> 00:07:25.562
But in instead of reverting back to the traditional way of storytelling, passively talking about people, politics problems, You keep storytelling, seeking a solution.
00:07:26.764 --> 00:07:31.204
So the problem that you're facing, you just haven't found a solution yet.
00:07:32.297 --> 00:07:33.406
Yet you stay committed.
00:07:33.737 --> 00:07:34.757
You stay faithful.
00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.300
You keep building your skill sets.
00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:40.350
Sometimes that delay is just a layer of protection.
00:07:41.910 --> 00:07:46.966
It is, and you won't realize that until things kind of play out.
00:07:47.072 --> 00:07:50.942
It doesn't mean you just sit there, doesn't mean you complain.
00:07:51.451 --> 00:07:53.341
You work while you wait.
00:07:54.932 --> 00:08:01.951
That develops that faith, and then sometimes that delay, these challenges that you face.
00:08:03.492 --> 00:08:13.992
Because you're story selling can constantly iterating, evolving, challenging, looking for solutions, figuring things out, asking yourself good questions.
00:08:14.442 --> 00:08:23.262
Not sitting around commiserating with a bunch of bullshit, low energy people, not turning devices to escape.
00:08:23.531 --> 00:08:25.151
No, you're figuring things out, man.
00:08:25.151 --> 00:08:26.081
You're in the lab.
00:08:27.461 --> 00:08:40.601
And so when you get challenged with these things and you have this delay, you build that infrastructure so that way some of this is an internal game, even though you can't see the result yet.
00:08:41.142 --> 00:08:43.511
You gotta have that foundation, that infrastructure.
00:08:44.277 --> 00:08:48.897
So that when you succeed, you can handle the success too.
00:08:50.037 --> 00:08:53.366
So you can have success, but can you handle the success?
00:08:53.486 --> 00:08:55.256
That's two totally different skill sets.
00:08:56.067 --> 00:08:56.697
Having it.
00:08:56.697 --> 00:08:59.667
Most people can have it, but can you handle it?
00:09:00.777 --> 00:09:01.677
Can you work with it?
00:09:01.677 --> 00:09:02.756
Can you make it grow?
00:09:04.047 --> 00:09:13.397
Not if all you're doing is storytelling talking about people, politics, or problems, you must always be story selling.
00:09:13.836 --> 00:09:16.506
Pay attention to the storytelling today.
00:09:17.201 --> 00:09:17.621
Not only.
00:09:18.517 --> 00:09:22.236
In yourself, but also in others.
00:09:24.456 --> 00:09:28.626
You're gonna be shocked, but you can't control them.
00:09:29.767 --> 00:09:31.027
You can only control you.
00:09:32.287 --> 00:09:33.486
So pay attention more.
00:09:33.486 --> 00:09:42.636
To your storytelling, what's that style or you complaining about people, politics and problems.
00:09:43.822 --> 00:09:46.312
Or will you shift over and start story selling?
00:09:47.032 --> 00:09:52.461
Selling your goals, your dreams, your possibilities, your projects, your desires?
00:09:53.465 --> 00:09:58.985
And so when you're not around, what's the story people think about you?
00:10:00.274 --> 00:10:01.534
Is it a story of.
00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:03.320
Sorrow.
00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:05.419
Oh, poor guy.
00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:09.320
Or is it a story of success?
00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:14.029
Man, that cat was challenged, but he figured it out.
00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:16.730
That's the kind of person I wanna be around.
00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:18.769
That's you.
00:10:19.340 --> 00:10:21.919
Be sure and grab a copy of Bryan Eisenberg's book.
00:10:22.129 --> 00:10:23.480
I think I swallowed the elephant.
00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:26.710
It's gonna be released on June 2nd.
00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:30.879
He's a great guy to connect to on both Twitter, LinkedIn.
00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:33.049
Instagram and TikTok.
00:10:33.169 --> 00:10:34.190
He's on all of them.
00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:36.419
Thanks, Bryan for the inspiration for this piece.
00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:37.230
Let's get outta here.
00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:37.860
Keep it simple.
00:10:37.860 --> 00:10:38.460
Keep it moving.
00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:39.000
Never settle.
00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:39.971
Stay tough peace.
00:00:01.379 --> 00:00:05.070
You know we are hardwired for storytelling.
00:00:06.750 --> 00:00:07.259
We are.
00:00:08.730 --> 00:00:14.308
In his new book, I think I swallowed an elephant author, Bryan Eisenberg.
00:00:15.558 --> 00:00:29.893
writes that your brain is wired for storytelling, but the question is, are the stories that you're telling leading to success?
00:00:32.445 --> 00:00:44.463
See, you have to think of yourself as a brand and to Bryan's point, if you wanna grow your brand, then you must create a story that others wanna be a part of.
00:00:45.334 --> 00:00:48.963
And it's the kind of story that they tell themselves when they think about you.
00:00:50.618 --> 00:00:51.938
How do you wanna be thought of?
00:00:52.807 --> 00:00:57.427
It's all dependent on how you tell a story.
00:00:58.448 --> 00:01:10.927
See, everybody's a storyteller, but most people tell stories that consist of the three Ps, people, problems, or politics.
00:01:11.647 --> 00:01:12.578
It's what they talk about.
00:01:12.697 --> 00:01:13.808
They talk about others.
00:01:15.097 --> 00:01:30.623
They talk about their personal problems, or they talk about administrations, governments, if they were king for a day, this is what they would do, but here's the problem, what they're not doing, And they get trapped in this loop.
00:01:32.018 --> 00:01:33.397
Of telling that story.
00:01:34.507 --> 00:01:47.138
And if you think back to, I mean, go back to when you were a kid, You didn't complain, you didn't talk about people, politics or problems.
00:01:48.397 --> 00:01:50.138
All you were trying to do is just play.
00:01:50.768 --> 00:01:53.858
Even if you were grounded and you were confined to your room.
00:01:54.578 --> 00:02:04.268
You may have complained for a few minutes, but after that you just adjusted and figured out how to play by yourself, and you made a day out of it.
00:02:05.317 --> 00:02:14.768
But somewhere along the way, probably as responsibilities started mounting up and you had to pay your own way through the world.
00:02:15.397 --> 00:02:22.657
You had rent, car note insurance, and what started off as minor annoyances.
00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:37.419
Now you're just perpetually talking about people, politics, and your own personal problems, and that's all you talk about.
00:02:39.430 --> 00:02:41.169
You probably don't even realize this.
00:02:41.169 --> 00:02:45.069
As I was writing this this morning and really giving it reflection, I was like.
00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:47.889
Man, pay attention to what you're talking about.
00:02:48.460 --> 00:02:53.020
Pay attention to the kind of stories that you're telling.
00:02:54.349 --> 00:03:04.616
, the line that grabbed me and just maybe just run with this whole thought, was, does your storytelling lead to success?
00:03:05.366 --> 00:03:10.225
Basically, does your storytelling lead to your desired outcome?
00:03:12.175 --> 00:03:13.045
See, you're stuck.
00:03:13.510 --> 00:03:14.741
Because of your stories.
00:03:15.971 --> 00:03:22.901
And if you'll change the ongoing narrative, you'll change the eventual outcome.
00:03:24.735 --> 00:03:28.156
See, there's traditional storytelling, which is what most people do.
00:03:29.265 --> 00:03:35.695
They talk about people, politics, problems, they absolve themselves of any responsibility.
00:03:36.895 --> 00:03:43.855
So that's the traditional storytelling, or you can move into something more productive.
00:03:45.221 --> 00:03:48.116
It's storytelling, but with a twist.
00:03:49.105 --> 00:03:50.156
It's story selling.
00:03:51.335 --> 00:03:58.419
See, you should be selling a story all the time not only to yourself, but others who are around you.
00:03:59.485 --> 00:04:00.354
Story selling.
00:04:02.710 --> 00:04:06.580
Sets standards and becomes standards for you to live by.
00:04:07.252 --> 00:04:08.722
And I love story selling.
00:04:09.241 --> 00:04:11.171
Because, see, selling is active.
00:04:11.532 --> 00:04:13.361
It requires your participation.
00:04:13.602 --> 00:04:20.242
It requires a lot of effort, so you'll put in a lot of effort but it's not a hundred percent.
00:04:21.612 --> 00:04:32.591
You're selling a hundred percent of the time, but the result shake out more like 30, 40%, but in that 30 or 40% more than compensates.
00:04:33.206 --> 00:04:41.997
For the other 70% that you put in there, because you're building skill sets, know-how, collaboration connections, you're building these things.
00:04:41.997 --> 00:04:44.127
Commitment, all kinds of different things.
00:04:45.447 --> 00:04:48.956
So you can't do that when you're just storytelling.
00:04:48.956 --> 00:04:51.146
Storytelling by itself is passive.
00:04:51.146 --> 00:04:59.067
It's easy to just point the finger that person's the problem that administration's the problem.
00:04:59.711 --> 00:05:02.382
Man, lemme tell you about all the hardships I've had.
00:05:02.591 --> 00:05:04.601
Lemme tell you about my ongoing problems right now.
00:05:04.781 --> 00:05:06.401
Lemme tell you about the unfairness.
00:05:07.362 --> 00:05:08.351
That's storytelling.
00:05:08.351 --> 00:05:09.372
That's a passive sport.
00:05:09.372 --> 00:05:25.002
Yeah, it's easy to say that, but the story selling requires you to put in the effort and so you're constantly selling a story of desires, of goals, of possibilities, of outcomes.
00:05:25.737 --> 00:05:29.346
Of projects, of visions, that's what you're selling.
00:05:29.377 --> 00:05:33.666
That's what story selling is versus just traditional storytelling.
00:05:35.264 --> 00:05:46.843
Everything that comes outta your mouth should be selling a story to yourself and to others that you're gonna figure out a way to succeed.
00:05:47.293 --> 00:05:51.074
And lemme tell you something, when you continuously tell this story.
00:05:51.689 --> 00:05:57.509
Of desires, of possibilities, of projects, of dreams, of goals.
00:05:57.778 --> 00:06:02.879
When you're telling that story all the time, and that's all you talk about, the wrong people.
00:06:03.298 --> 00:06:10.348
The people that only want to talk about gossip and don't want to talk about growth, they'll fade away.
00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:16.704
They don't want to be around you because you're talking about movement forward.
00:06:18.129 --> 00:06:19.899
And shit, they're just stuck in the past.
00:06:21.668 --> 00:06:26.139
When you're story selling, you're figuring out a way to be a success.
00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:30.019
That's what you're selling success.
00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:33.319
And success is a mixture of both wins and losses.
00:06:33.858 --> 00:06:41.149
You need the wins to push you through these losses to keep going, but you also need the losses.
00:06:41.884 --> 00:06:50.194
To improve your skills, your know-how, your efficiencies, so that way you can win again, but at a higher level.
00:06:51.994 --> 00:06:54.334
Now, it doesn't mean that you're not gonna get stuck.
00:06:54.634 --> 00:06:55.593
You're gonna get stuck.
00:06:55.653 --> 00:06:56.824
You're gonna get blindsided.
00:06:57.124 --> 00:07:00.903
There are gonna be times where you just don't have any answers.
00:07:01.834 --> 00:07:10.778
But no matter what, when you're facing these challenges, when you have the mindset of storytelling through story selling.
00:07:12.499 --> 00:07:25.562
But in instead of reverting back to the traditional way of storytelling, passively talking about people, politics problems, You keep storytelling, seeking a solution.
00:07:26.764 --> 00:07:31.204
So the problem that you're facing, you just haven't found a solution yet.
00:07:32.297 --> 00:07:33.406
Yet you stay committed.
00:07:33.737 --> 00:07:34.757
You stay faithful.
00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.300
You keep building your skill sets.
00:07:37.589 --> 00:07:40.350
Sometimes that delay is just a layer of protection.
00:07:41.910 --> 00:07:46.966
It is, and you won't realize that until things kind of play out.
00:07:47.072 --> 00:07:50.942
It doesn't mean you just sit there, doesn't mean you complain.
00:07:51.451 --> 00:07:53.341
You work while you wait.
00:07:54.932 --> 00:08:01.951
That develops that faith, and then sometimes that delay, these challenges that you face.
00:08:03.492 --> 00:08:13.992
Because you're story selling can constantly iterating, evolving, challenging, looking for solutions, figuring things out, asking yourself good questions.
00:08:14.442 --> 00:08:23.262
Not sitting around commiserating with a bunch of bullshit, low energy people, not turning devices to escape.
00:08:23.531 --> 00:08:25.151
No, you're figuring things out, man.
00:08:25.151 --> 00:08:26.081
You're in the lab.
00:08:27.461 --> 00:08:40.601
And so when you get challenged with these things and you have this delay, you build that infrastructure so that way some of this is an internal game, even though you can't see the result yet.
00:08:41.142 --> 00:08:43.511
You gotta have that foundation, that infrastructure.
00:08:44.277 --> 00:08:48.897
So that when you succeed, you can handle the success too.
00:08:50.037 --> 00:08:53.366
So you can have success, but can you handle the success?
00:08:53.486 --> 00:08:55.256
That's two totally different skill sets.
00:08:56.067 --> 00:08:56.697
Having it.
00:08:56.697 --> 00:08:59.667
Most people can have it, but can you handle it?
00:09:00.777 --> 00:09:01.677
Can you work with it?
00:09:01.677 --> 00:09:02.756
Can you make it grow?
00:09:04.047 --> 00:09:13.397
Not if all you're doing is storytelling talking about people, politics, or problems, you must always be story selling.
00:09:13.836 --> 00:09:16.506
Pay attention to the storytelling today.
00:09:17.201 --> 00:09:17.621
Not only.
00:09:18.517 --> 00:09:22.236
In yourself, but also in others.
00:09:24.456 --> 00:09:28.626
You're gonna be shocked, but you can't control them.
00:09:29.767 --> 00:09:31.027
You can only control you.
00:09:32.287 --> 00:09:33.486
So pay attention more.
00:09:33.486 --> 00:09:42.636
To your storytelling, what's that style or you complaining about people, politics and problems.
00:09:43.822 --> 00:09:46.312
Or will you shift over and start story selling?
00:09:47.032 --> 00:09:52.461
Selling your goals, your dreams, your possibilities, your projects, your desires?
00:09:53.465 --> 00:09:58.985
And so when you're not around, what's the story people think about you?
00:10:00.274 --> 00:10:01.534
Is it a story of.
00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:03.320
Sorrow.
00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:05.419
Oh, poor guy.
00:10:07.340 --> 00:10:09.320
Or is it a story of success?
00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:14.029
Man, that cat was challenged, but he figured it out.
00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:16.730
That's the kind of person I wanna be around.
00:10:18.259 --> 00:10:18.769
That's you.
00:10:19.340 --> 00:10:21.919
Be sure and grab a copy of Bryan Eisenberg's book.
00:10:22.129 --> 00:10:23.480
I think I swallowed the elephant.
00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:26.710
It's gonna be released on June 2nd.
00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:30.879
He's a great guy to connect to on both Twitter, LinkedIn.
00:10:31.730 --> 00:10:33.049
Instagram and TikTok.
00:10:33.169 --> 00:10:34.190
He's on all of them.
00:10:34.289 --> 00:10:36.419
Thanks, Bryan for the inspiration for this piece.
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Let's get outta here.
00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:37.860
Keep it simple.
00:10:37.860 --> 00:10:38.460
Keep it moving.
00:10:38.460 --> 00:10:39.000
Never settle.
00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:39.971
Stay tough peace.