how to wander
with purpose

paulisakson.com
@paulisakson

passion
&
frustration

“Everyone has a plan ’till
they get punched in the mouth.” -Mike Tyson

things change too quickly now
to have long-term plans.

we have little, to no
control over what happens next.

we have no idea what
new piece of technology might launch that could change everything.

it’s better to have a
bigger purpose and some firm beliefs to guide you, than it is to have a plan.

my purpose & beliefs: 1)
make things better 2) do Good 3) work hard

"I don’t have this huge,
overarching plan. I don’t know what I’m gonna wake up and feel like doing tomorrow, let alone five years down the line. I think that’s enabled me to get to where I am. I certainly go after what I want. But I just have detached amusement about a lot of it. Because it’s silly. This job is ridiculous." - Jon Hamm Jon Hamm:The Last Alpha Male, Details Magazine, October 2010

If you watched a movie
about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn’t cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn’t tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on and think about the story you’d seen. The truth is, you wouldn’t remember that movie a week later, except you’d feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

a story is a character
who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

a great story is when
the character’s ambition is selfless and the conflict is immense. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

most of our stories right
now are crap.

the good news is that
we can write better stories.

looking at life as a
story...

a character is what a
character does. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

start small. A Million Miles
In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

start saying yes more. A
Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

embrace conflict. the greater the
conflict, the greater the story. A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, Donald Miller, 2009

create an inciting incident. Storyline
Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

where you do what you
do matters a lot. Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

do something to move your
story forward every day. Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

cut out the things that
don’t move your story forward. Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

decide to be awesome, no
matter what happens. Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

at any given time, we
can have up to four or five stories running in our lives. Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

my stories: 1. live life
fully 2. make things better 3. help end hunger in Minnesota 4. write a book 5. learn to cook amazing meals

creating better personal stories

what kind of stories do
you want to tell or join? a love story? an adventure story? a story about overcoming adversity? something else? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

what kind of stories do
you want to tell or join? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

for each story

what do you want? or...
what is the primary ambition of your story? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

what is the elevator pitch
of your story? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

what will the final scenes
look like? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

what conflict(s) are standing in
your way to doing that? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

what can you do to
start fighting it/them? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

who can help you fight
it/them? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

how, and with whom, will
you celebrate your story being told once completed? Storyline Conference, Donald Miller, September 2010 : www.thestorylineconference.com

paulisakson.com
@paulisakson