Movie making is the hallmark of storytelling, creating visual moments that we all know are fake, but still move humans so much is the art of the craft.

At the bare minimum, movie-making is quite basic. The main character wants something and goes out on a journey to find it.

The same goes for all forms of storytelling.

It’s all about people going on a journey to find something. Then learning a lesson and that lesson makes them better or satisfies the urge for the original want.

Kind of the same concept as f**ck around and find out. :)

Storytelling defines human existence

Human daily life is rigged with stories. We want something. It could be intimacy, revenge, seizing power, a job, a business, freedom, or a new pair of shoes.

…And we have to go on a journey to find it. Join Tinder to find dates, run for office, save money to buy something(the shoes maybe), or start an online business to find location freedom.

If we want it bad enough, we must act on it.

The analogy of wanting something and going on a journey to find answers has defined human existence, built empires and moved cultures forward for thousands of years.

How do you get yourself in the mindset to tell your story? Find clues.

When Napoleon first encountered Russians at the Battle of Friedland, he literally walked all over them. Russia lost 40% of its troops.

However, when later he moves to invade Russia, he finds a stronger army and faces fierce battles. It’s not the usual walkover like his previous encounters. In a single battle(The Battle of Borodino) there were over 70,000 casualties in one day.

He quips: “These Monkeys have learned something.”

Eventually, after staying in Moscow for weeks with no signs of surrender from the Russians, Napoleon was forced to make a tactical withdrawal.

Military code for: He ran his behind off.

It is estimated that Napoleon’s army was over 500,000 men strong at the beginning of the invasion. Only about 120,000 came back.

This was the beginning of the end of Napoleon. Now, it was out there in the universe that Napoleon could be beaten.

This got me thinking about Roger Banister’s story.

A mile in 4 minutes run

Up to 1954, doctors and exercise experts believed it was impossible to run a mile in under 4 minutes. They argued that the human body could not run that fast. They found science to “prove” humans could not run a mile in 4 minutes.

Roger Banister shattered that belief when he ran a mile in three minutes fifty-nine seconds in 1954. It is still regarded as one of the most epic achievements in athletics to date.

However, his new record lasted only 46 days when Australian John Landy broke Roger Banister’s record. To date, thousands of athletes have run a mile in under 4 minutes.

It is like when Roger Banister broke that record, the secrets had been leaked and now everyone had access to how it could be done and so they did it too.

The Obama effect is another brilliant example.

The Obama effect

Much could be said about how blacks across America have become successful in elective politics after the ascension of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States.

When it’s been done before, there is a blueprint that breaks mental barriers that hold people back from achieving things.

The fact that a black man could run and become president of the United States changed the dream structure of black Americans across the United States. In the following elections, blacks flooded elective politics and the majority were able to get the chance to serve.

This was unimaginable to many blacks before, but Obama’s election broke that mental barrier that held them back from going for elective office.

Conclusion

Whether you are working in marketing or have fitness goals, there is someone who has done it and you can follow their blueprint.

Learn from great campaigns. Learn from those who have done it because someone out there has probably broken the mental barriers to that thing you can imagine is achievable.

What do I need to do? Find success stories and emulate them.

Those who have succeeded in the creator space have left clues in their wake.

All you have to do is copy.