Once upon a time, I was a teacher, and one day I discovered one of my high school students was in life-threatening danger. 

 

This kid frustrated me almost daily...always falling asleep, or playing his Gameboy on the sly. Never prepared for class.  I struggled every day to get a lot done.  I had no patience for his antics.  

 

This day was presentation day. He shifted from foot to foot gathering his nerves. As he delivered his presentation on symbolism, he held up gray, sloppy stick-figure drawings representing things he loved and activities he enjoyed.  Video games, music, his future self as a baseball superstar pitcher. 

 

To my horror, pouring out between those images was his tearful account of how his step-father beat, taunted and terrorized him and his brother, squeezing the breath out of his dreams. 

 

This child wasn't living, he was surviving.

 

He whaled as he detailed the incident leading up to his stepfather trying to run him over with a car.  His tears dripped like blood onto the floor as he described the terror of being threatened with a hammer. 

 

So occupied with my feeble attempt to keep my teacher swag, I didn't notice the students' reactions...until I noticed.  Every girl in the room was melting in her tears.  The boys were trying to look away, desperately trying not to break character.  

 

The takeaway: we get so caught up in the details of our lives, we miss out on opportunities to help someone right in front of us.  My student was showing signs of distress I was trained to spot...and I missed them. 

 

So how does the story end? 

 

You fit somewhere in there. Maybe you can relate to this child's circumstance in some way. 

 

But maybe you saw yourself in me. Caught up in proving yourself...struggling to meet expectations and missing out on opportunities to make human connections. 

 

An original, authentic brand story cultivates community

and drives action

 

However you saw yourself, empathy transported you into the story. If you're still reading, your brain triggered you to want to see how the story ends.   According to Paul Zak's research, you know there's a lesson to be learned. You want to act on the takeaway and make a change. 

 

So here's how it ends...   

 

After assuring him that I would help, I reported the abuse. He and his brother were removed immediately from the home and placed in safe hands.  

 

You're not just selling beauty products or services.  You have a story...one that'll create superfans by defining your audience and touching their emotions. 

 

Your audience is looking for you. Do you have the audacity to be different so they can spot you in the crowd?