1147: It's A Dangerous Business

I'm writing this from a hotel room in London although - to be totally transparent - I'm tired and would prefer to be down in the bar. So I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Two days ago we swept past an obvious 'secret' to business storytelling with barely a nod. Today, I want to circle back to make sure none of us missed it. And because it gives me a chance to talk about Bilbo Baggins. When first meet Bilbo he's an ordinary hobbit living an ordinary life in the 'ordinary world'. He's no hero. But by the start of the Lord of the Rings, he's totally changed. He's planning his eleventy-first birthday party, looking forward to one last adventure and thinking about finishing his book. What changed? If your answer involves wizards, dwarves and dragons you are missing the point. Bilbo did something and that thing changed him. And that's the obvious secret. The best way to tell a better story is to LIVE a better story. I don't mean walking to Mordor or blowing up the Matrix - though that would be cool. I mean doing something worth talking about ... something worth sharing. Which brings me back to the reason I'm sitting here writing, rather than having a drink in the bar. Because a while ago, I committed to writing one of these a day for thirty days ... because who knows where it might lead. "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."