A colleague of mine in the Association of Personal Historians, Paul Smith of Lead With a Story,  is looking for stories that are vehicles for values. Here’s Paul’s story:

I’m a writer and storyteller like many of you. I’m under contract with the American Management Association to author a book of short 1-2 page stories to help parents teach their children wisdom, values, character, and life lessons. I’m looking for true stories of events in people’s lives where they learned an important lesson in an interesting, unexpected, or memorable way. Specifically, I have a list below of the type of lessons I’m still looking for as I wrap up the research and interviews for this book.

I asked Paul about the reading level he’s looking for in submitted stories. His reply:

I’m writing the book for adults to read. My intention is for the parents to read the stories first, then tell the stories to their children orally, in their own words. That way they can translate it into whatever words are appropriate for the age of their child.

Have you had a personal life experiences that you think might fit? Here is Paul’s list of lessons of interest:

• Gossip
• Gratitude
• Fairness
• Patience
• Open mindedness
• Creativity
• Curiosity
• Taking responsibility
• Contentment (being happy with what you have)
• Living life with no (few) regrets
• Being you: On learning not to care (so much) what other people think
• Believing in the impossible
• the value of a good education and hard work
• Making choices: Prioritizing what’s important
• Seeing your own foibles
• Listening
• Choices about education
• Lessons for a fulfilling career

Got a good story that conveys these positive values? Write it up and send it to Paul at paul@leadwithastory.com by December 15, 2013.

Paul Smith is the author of Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire.