Tag: winning

Why does the underdog story work? Think about every great movie you love. It likely contained the most essential element of any great movie: character. In that character’s journey, you probably got a taste of their underdog story.

When I’m called in to help a lawyer discover the right story for his client, I’m waiting for it—because it’s always there. It’s something you learn to look for when you’re in the business of storytelling and human motivation.

September is synonymous with the return of football season and almost beckons the falling leaves and cool evenings of autumn. For thousands of young kids around the country, this time of year can be like Christmas and for others it can be one of dread. The attitude your child may have about this has a lot to do with you and your spouse.

I remember as a kid wanting to play football, but my mother wouldn’t let me because she thought I was going to get hurt, and my dad seemed somewhat indifferent about this.

See Jimmy pitch the ball. See Dick hit the ball. See Dick run to first base. See Dick get called out. See Dick’s parents yell at the umpire. See other parents join in. See Dick walk back to the bench and hide his head in his hands. See Dick’s dad yell to Dick telling him to "Be a man, and suck it up."

For those of you involved in youth sports, you may know that these occurrences are not uncommon. According to a survey of parents, 84 percent of them have seen violence in sports, and 45 percent of kids report that they have experienced comments and abuse of some sort.

More often than not, flash-fire arguments are a result of long-standing conflicts that are not being addressed and are excuses to dance around deep, core issues. Assigning blame for starting these arguments misses the issue. A couple must learn how to see through arguments to the person behind them.

For instance, let’s say that one person in a relationship is mad that the other is doing something that reflects a deep and entrenched part of their personality. Let’s say that this person is worried and concerned that a partner never opens up about personal feelings