Stories Mean Business - Nick Warren

In The Last Of Us, Part 2, there's a beautiful example of world-building and storytelling ... sketched into a few short lines.

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I know you're upset... What if we talked like this for a bit? Would that help?

I didn't mean to grab you like that. I hope I didn't hurt you. Even mommies are scared sometimes.

I'm OK. I'm really scared too.

I get how angry you are. I miss him too... but you can't scream like that.

I just want... I need... I know.

I love you very much. I won't let anything happen to you.

I love you too.

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I don't know who wrote this, but it's beautiful world-building and storytelling and I wanted to celebrate it.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/865:-I-Know-Youre-Upset

Sprint 3 is complete, with the addition of a Speaking page to my website (https://www.storiesmeanbusiness.com/speaking).

Sprint 4 will be something very different, the creation of a Memory Palace style story around a key business framework.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/864:-Sprint-4:-The-Framework

After yesterday's musing on location and creativity, it's only right to loop back to memory.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/863:-The-Other-Thing-About-Location

You can (and should) optimise your day-to-day environment for learning and creativity ... but there's something that you shouldn't ignore.

The power of distraction and difference.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/862:-Campervan-and-Creativity

In 1513, Machiavelli presented his 'slim book' to Lorenzo De Medici (the Magnificent).

Its lessons have survived the test of time for a reason.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/861:-This-Slim-Book

Had a haircut yesterday, which means a visit to the idea sex shop.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/860:-Idea-Sex-Is-Good

In the 1980s I played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons.

It was pretty epic.

What started as a little hobby became a huge part of my life ... every weekend spent on a quest ... or creating one for others. I spent huge amounts of time wrapped up in my imagination.

And in empathy.

At some point during that time, I read an article in White Dwarf magazine about creating realistic worlds.

The monsters – it said – aren't just standing behind the door waiting for the adventurers to turn up. They have jobs, needs, feelings and desires.

They have lives.

I can't say whether that early lesson made a difference to my business career, but I remember the difference it made to the depth a quality of the adventures I was creating.

Empathy is a foundation skill, whether we are designing fantasy worlds ... or products and services for our customers.

The internet has made it easy to see people as numbers in a conversion funnel, but easy doesn't mean right.

Customers are like monsters. They have lives too.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/859-The-Monster-Has-A-Life

30 years ago, this month, I learned the difference between learning and growth.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/858:-Learning-Versus-Growth

Update on last week's sprint, and my plan for Week 3.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/857:-Sprint-3-The-Media-Page

If you're good intententions have already started to wain, try this simple technique from James Clear's Atomic Habits.

Episode home:

https://StoriesMeanBusiness.com/podcast/856:-Habits-Piece-By-Piece