The Most Valuable Lessons Are Made Up

If you own a business or are thinking about starting one, you probably read a lot of business books.

You want to stay sharp, informed, efficient.

You want learn new strategies, test new tactics, speak the language.

You want to know your stuff (or at least feel like you do).

So we devour books with titles like 10x This and Unlock That and Secrets of the Highly Effective Something-Or-Other.

And there’s nothing wrong with that. I read those books too.

But often, the most beneficial lessons are completely made up.

Made-Up Stories, Real Truths

I just finished reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy to my boys.

It wasn’t my first exposure to the story. I’ve seen the movies many, many, many, times. But this was a much richer experience: sitting with the books each night, voice acting my way through Middle-earth, watching my kids soak it all up, and giving in when they begged for “just a couple more pages” (even after my throat was all Smeagol’d out).

We read about ordinary people called to do extraordinary things.

About the importance of friends who bear each other’s burdens and encourage each other to keep going when things feel hopeless.

About how everyone plays a critical role even though they might not be the “main character.” There are so many powerful lessons in the Lord of the Rings, about leadership, friendship, and perseverance.

Some of the most impactful and inspiring lessons I’ve learned didn’t come from textbooks or business books.

They came from the land of make-believe.

From characters like Samwise Gamgee, showing us what it means to be a fierce friend. Or Atticus Finch, modeling integrity even when it isn’t popular. Or Janner Igiby, learning to become a servant leader (if you’ve never read The Wingfeather Saga, do it! My family and I love those books).

These characters aren’t real. But the truths they teach us are.

Why Fiction Belongs on Your Shelf

Fiction feeds your life - and your business - in ways you might not realize.

• It activates different parts of your brain

• It stretches your creativity

• It helps you understand other people better (and gives you something new to bond over).

• It gives you metaphors, language, and deeper wells to draw from when you’re writing, speaking, or solving problems

It’s also surprisingly good practice for becoming a better communicator.

Read out loud. Do the voices. And if you’ve got kids, it makes for some of the most memorable bedtime routines of your life.

And maybe most importantly:

It reminds you that your business is just one arc in a much bigger story.

Your life is the story. And the stories we consume shape the ones we live.

Your Challenge

Put a novel on your nightstand.

Don’t worry about how it applies to your business.

Just read it and enjoy it, and let the lessons that are supposed to stick, stick.

Because the right made-up story might be exactly what you need to live a more meaningful real one.

What’s a work of fiction that stuck with you?

Reply and let me know. I’m always adding to my list.