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One of my favorite
people in all of history is President Abraham Lincoln. He provided so many
examples of how to be a dedicated leader and wonderfully caring individual, all
while being in the tangles of an impossible war and trying to put a fractured
country together.
There are so many lessons we can learn from our 16th President, but perhaps, the biggest lesson I enjoy about
President Lincoln was how he told stories to impart wisdom.
President Lincoln used
his stories in conversations with everyone, and anyone, to make points about
politics, war, and daily life. His reports expressed themes of pride, humor,
sadness, and questions that made the act of teaching lessons easy to understand
and human.
When he was a lawyer, he used storytelling to distinguish “facts”
from “conclusions.” He told stories to illustrate that aiming for “perfection”
was feeble and leads to nowhere. Humor was a big part of Lincoln’s storytelling.
He would weave detailed tales about friends, soldiers, and colleagues with
humor to make sure the story and lesson stuck.
Not unlike many comedians, we
have today. It is safe to say, President Lincoln was his most inspiring when he
associated a story with a point he was trying to make.
As a university professor, I often think of our sixteenth president and try to incorporate stories into teaching, along with sticking humor within the webbing of the stories. Not every story I tell is a winner, but that is the value of learning from doing. We can always get better with practice.
What stories and lessons do you have to share? What can you pass on that brings in life learning, humor, and connecting people with important messages and topics for their growth? We all have stories. Why not share them, so we call to evolve together. We appreciate you all and all you have to offer the world.
With compassion, kindness, and appreciation,
~ Scott Palasik
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