Motivational Metaphors

Jay Arthur
888-468-1537
303-756-9144
KnowWare International, Inc.
DBA LifeStar
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Denver, CO 80224

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Copyright © 2011

Not long ago, we had a hose break in our basement which flooded most of the carpet. I called in a company to vacuum the water and dry the carpets. The first guy to arrive evaluated what needed to be done, called in a crew, and then he did a curious thing...he told me a story.

He got a mischievous grin on his face and told me how, once upon a time, they'd been called to the home of two women that had flooding problems. As his crew was moving the furniture, they tipped a small cabinet, the doors opened, and out poured leather and rubber clothing, handcuffs and all kinds of S&M gear. My first thought was: "Why is this guy telling me this?" Then I realized, he was telling me that if we had anything embarrassing in the basement, we'd better move it before the crew arrived.

Stories, Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies

The mind loves stories. As soon as the mind starts to hear a story, all of those conscious, linear filters fall away and the right brain takes over. So you can often use metaphors, similes, analogies, and stories where nothing else will work.

I remember a time when my friend's daughter caught e-coli from a fast food restaurant. E-coli is especially bad for younger children, and she got worse and worse. He didn't know what to do. So, having just learned the power of stories, I wrote one about a little tree that was slammed by a storm. The big trees could only watch as the storm flattened the little tree. After the sun came out, the big trees watched and slowly, the little tree pulled each branch out of the mud until it could stand upright. Over the years it would grow strong and straight and bear great fruit. My friend read it to his daughter and she began to improve immediately. She's now fully recovered and has grown into maturity.

Crafting Stories

So what do you do if you need to motivate a child to do their homework, a co-worker to finish a project, or a loved one to heal?

Simple, just think of an experience from your life or someone else's that embodies the beliefs, values, and processes you want to transfer. Pare it down so that you can tell the essence of the story quickly. Omit unnecessary details. Or craft a fairy tale out of thin air that embodies the message you want to send. Professional speakers do this all of the time to convey their message. They tell a story and make a point. You can too.

So, the next time you have an opportunity, use some form of "once upon a time..." and launch into your story. In the e-coli story I used "I remember a time when..." The unconscious, right brain hears that and thinks "Story Time!"

Child and Homework
I might tell a story of a friend who hesitated to ask a pretty girl out. He hesitated and worried and beat himself up for not asking her. Finally, he raked up the courage to talk to her. She'd been wanting to meet him. They started dating and never looked back.

What's the pattern? Hesitating to get started and the relief you feel once you begin.

Co-worker and Project
(Does tortoise and the hare ring a bell?) I knew a computer programmer who started working on projects the moment they were assigned. He'd draft and prototype parts of it to get feedback from clients and his supervisor. He always finished early, delivered unexpected value, and got recognition and rewards commensurate with his performance.

Or: I graduated from college with a guy and we both went to work for the same telephone company. Twelve years later he retired to Maui. I asked him: "How can you afford to retire now, especially to Maui?" He said: "I read this book called The Richest Man in Babylon and decided to get rich slowly." Get rich slowly? I asked him what he meant. He said: "You invest a little every day and in ten to fifteen years you'll be a millionaire." Sounds too simple, I said. "That's the beauty of it," he replied.

What's the pattern? Do something every day to move you toward completion. The reward is waiting.

A Loved One To Heal
My wife's aunt was diagnosed with liver cancer. She recently came over for lunch and she told us story after story of dogs she'd had over her 78 year lifetime that had gotten terribly sick to the point the vet had suggested putting the dog down and then recovered completely. I was struck by how her mind had decided to tell her stories of healing from seemingly terminal illness. Will she recover? I don't know, but I know that the stories she's telling herself have tremendous medicinal qualities.

What's the pattern? Living being recovers from terminal disease.

Many people have stories about people who have died of cancer. I collect stories of people who have completely recovered from all kinds of cancers, multiple sclerosis and anything else I can find. Those are the kinds of stories I want to tell to my friends, family, loved ones, and myself. Not the horror stories, but the exceptional stories.

Get the idea?
The story can be directly related or indirectly related. They can be real life or fairy tale-like. As long as the pattern of the story presents the real world behavior you want to elicit from your children, spouse, or co-workers and the story is positively directed, I'd say go for it.

The Dark Side of Stories

We've all heard that many suicide bombers have been told they will immediately ascend to heaven and be greeted by nubile virgins after they blow themselves up. They continue to do it, but few of us can understand why. I'd like you to consider that stories can convince us that dying beats living. They are powerful because they slide right by the filters of our conscious minds and into the subconscious or unconscious. Repetition hammers the story into the mind.

Here's My Point

Once you become aware of stories and their power, you'll notice them everywhere. Your conscious mind can begin to choose the stories you want to let in and those you want to shrug off.

Do you want to tell yourself and your children stories about poverty, disease, incompetence and corruption? Or do you want to tell stories of wealth creation, wellness, competence and impeccability? The stories you tell will determine your fate and the fate of others.

Choose them well.

© 2005 Jay Arthur, the KnowWare® Man, works with companies who want to plug the leaks in their cash flow and people who want to master the mysteries of the mind..

To have Jay Arthur to train your staff, contact Jay at (888) 468-1537, lifestar@qimacros.com.

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