I once heard a phrase that said, “If you want to be successful in life, you will have to learn how to tell good stories.” I thought I understood the meaning of that phrase the moment I first read it, but I didn’t. As I grew, I realized it meant much more than what it shows at first glance. It’s not just about learning to tell stories in terms of public speaking or storytelling. Let me explain:
As a child, I used to watch a lot of cartoons and movies (which I’m grateful to the children’s entertainment industry for). My favorite movie was The Lion King, produced by Disney, directed by Rob Minkoff and Roger Allers. It was based on the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. I used to watch that movie over and over without getting tired of the plot, and while I watched it, I also observed my own behavior while doing so. I realized that no matter how many times I had seen it, it always evoked almost magical emotions, even though I knew how the movie would end. It still touched my soul as if it were the first time; it made me cry over Mufasa’s death (secretly, because I was a tough kid), laugh with Timon & Pumbaa, and even get angry with the villain Scar.
Like all children, I also had action figures where I invented my own stories. Imagination was my greatest superpower. As I grew, I replaced TV and toys with books. The first book I read, the one with which I lost my reading virginity, was the bestseller by the Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho. Of course, I’m talking about The Alchemist. My favorite character during my teenage years was Sherlock Holmes. Over time, I understood the true meaning of that phrase that said, “To be successful, you must learn how to tell good stories” as I saw how people, as they grew, lost their superpower: imagination. As Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, but imagination has no boundaries.” And I think he was right.
I remember that in school, literature teachers tried to limit my imagination and that of the other kids. That’s why from an early age, I developed a certain rebelliousness toward the education they provided in schools. I’m not saying I was a bad student; on the contrary, I always maintained impeccable discipline. But I understood that I wanted to learn things that school didn’t teach, or that limited my curiosity and talents that I didn’t yet know I had. All this, while growing up in a communist country, where everything was political indoctrination. That’s why I decided to take education into my own hands and became self-taught at a young age. And believe me, taking control of my education made me grow much more intellectually and culturally than those around me.
By reading books, I learned how to write. Through debates, I learned to communicate ideas. And on the internet, I learned almost everything I needed from great masters. I’ve always been the true figure of a bookworm, especially because I look like a mouse. And thanks to reading so much, I still keep my superpower—you know, I’m talking about imagination. I understood that storytelling is not a gift we are born with, but something we develop, and above all, something we choose to nurture. Read that again: we choose to nurture. Because it seems the world steals our imagination as we grow older.
In business, for example, storytelling is a fundamental tool for attracting customers’ attention, persuading collaborators, and positively changing the world. In leadership, it’s effective for inspiring and motivating the team, helping them understand the purpose of your actions, and connecting with a shared vision.
I reaffirm the previous phrase: “If you want to be a successful person, learn how to tell good stories.” But I think we can all make a deeper analysis of the phrase:
You see, Homo sapiens is an animal conscious of having a destiny. It knows it has a beginning and will have an end. The ability to tell a story allows us to learn from that one reality. What’s more, stories give meaning to that reality.
I remember that I used to practice my imagination in the following way: I would take some time to observe people on public transportation or in traffic jams. I would think about what their lives must be like using my imagination. After all, we are all walking narratives, stories on legs, so to speak.
As the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen pointed out in his play Peer Gynt, the human being is like an onion. If you peel it layer by layer, you’ll find there’s nothing at its core. To question the nature of storytelling would be like asking a fish to ponder the nature of water.
In this sense, I want to say that, as human beings, we are responsible for our own story and its narrative construction. It means we must be aware of who we are, how we got to where we are, and what we want to experience. Telling our own story allows us to create a sense of purpose and direction in our lives. It helps us set clear goals, overcome obstacles, and learn from our past experiences.
I chose to take responsibility for creating my own story because I know no one else can do it for me. Only you can take control of your destiny. And thanks to this, I’ve discovered who I really am and learned to listen to my inner voice. But this doesn’t mean everything will go as planned; what makes a story fun is not knowing how it will end. If you’ve never told a fictional story where not even you know how it will end, you haven’t felt the true value of life itself. As David Mamet said, “If you know in advance how your protagonist will get out of trouble, then I guarantee your audience will figure it out too.” Taking his words to heart, writing a story is less about invention and more about discovery. The idea is to let yourself be surprised by how events unfold. It’s quite similar to life, isn’t it? Writing your story is like living life. Just make sure your story is good enough to be told.
To tell a story, first, there has to be one to tell. You can read it, and the way you communicate it makes it yours. But also, to tell stories, you must create them. And I believe creating and telling are the same thing in literature. When we write, we are telling even without an audience present.
It won’t be easy, and I can assure you there will be times when you feel lost, but when you write your own story based on what you desire, challenges turn into opportunities for a good plot. This makes your story entertaining, not ordinary.
«The ability to create, imagine, innovate, and persevere in turning our vision into reality makes us heroes of our own stories.»
— Rene De Paz
For me, living and writing are the same. I don’t know who created that phrase, I just know I didn’t copy it from anyone—that’s how I feel. Just like in writing, you hold the pencil to your destiny when you’re living. And well, I believe the meaning of that phrase is now clearer and broader.
As for me, here I will remain… holding the pencil and keeping my heart open, ready to continue writing my own story, so that later I can tell it—or maybe I should say, remember it…
English 
Spanish