Somehow I had come to believe that because a person is in need, they are candidates for sympathy, not just charity. It was not that I wanted to buy her groceries, the government was already doing that. I wanted to buy her dignity. And yet, by judging her, I was the one taking her dignity away.

I talk about love, forgiveness, social justice; I rage against American materialism in the name of alturism, but have I even controlled my own heart? The overwhelming majority of time I spend thinking about myself, pleasing myself, reassuring myself, and when I am done there is nothing to spare for the needy. Six billion people live in this world, and I can only muster thoughts for one. Me.

If somebody buys what you offer, how will it make their lives better?

You have to ask the right questions—you need some raw materials to work with. The following questions will allow you to build a bank of compelling testimonials that work with nearly any customer quickly and easily.

Your customer should be the hero of the story, not your brand. This is the secret every phenomenally successful business understands.

Simply turning our focus to the customer and offering them a heroic role in a meaningful story is enough to radically change the way we talk about, and even do, business.

May we all be richly rewarded for putting our customers' stories above our own.

I've learned there are givers and takers in this life. I've slowly let the takers go and I've had it for the better. God bless them, when they learn to play by the rules they are welcomed back, but my heart is worth protecting.

At StoryBrand, we certainly give away the "why," but we also give away an awful lot of the "how." It's never cost me to be generous with my customers.

The truth is that our wellbeing is dependent on our giving love. It is not about what comes back; it is about what goes out!

Whatever you want more of, give it away.

He who would be blest, let him scatter blessings.