Colombian Santa tricked me...

You ever met someone that turned out to be not who they seemed?

For me, it was Juan.

I met Juan while down here in Colombian. I saw him everywhere.

He was an older hardworking farmer. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and had bushy eyebrows with a mustache to match.

Oh and a donkey, he definitely had a donkey.

And he made good coffee.

In fact, I had been drinking Juan’s Valdez’s coffee for the past 2 weeks straight (it’s a coffee chain equivalent to Starbucks).

It was good coffee, but the other day I stopped and thought why I chose his coffee chain over other places that were closer or higher rated.

Sure, the coffee tasted good, but why I really bought it was the good feeling it gave me.

Lemme explain…

The Power of Hidden Narratives

A few weeks earlier, someone told me the story behind the Juan Valdez coffee chain.

It was a chain of Colombian farmers who came together to save themselves from the giant corporate coffee competitors in the market.

An Us vs. Them underdog story.

True or not, I bought into their narrative.

I felt like I was helping them every time I got their coffee. Hell, I didn’t even realize it until I stopped and thought about why I kept buying from them.

And I pictured good ol’ Juan Valdez as the leader behind the movement.

I was curious to hear his personal story, so I searched him up.

But what I found surprised me…

The dude wasn’t even real.

Basically the Colombian Santa Claus.

I chuckled to myself at the clever marketing. I respected it.

A Powerful Question

But you may be wondering…

Why tf are you telling me a story about Colombian Santa?

Well, my friend, because everything in our lives is a story. Every decision we make fits into a larger narrative we tell ourselves.

The car we drive, the clothes we wear, the way we talk.

Either stories we tell ourselves or (more likely) the stories others tell us are what influence where we end up in life.

I encourage you to try an experiment…

Just start asking yourself “Why?” about different things in your life.

• “Why do I wear these clothes?”

• “Why do I read these books?”

• “Why do I shop at this store?”

And keep asking yourself “Why” as answers pop up. Often times, you’ll uncover some interesting narratives you didn’t know were there.

Influence Your World

Stories aren’t only powerful for your own life, but also influencing others.

If you can tell a good story, your audience becomes a part of your brand. One of the best examples I’ve seen of this is The Futur.

Their mission statement is to teach one billion people how to make a living, doing what they love.

When you read this, you feel a part of something bigger. It’s not a company, it’s a movement.

So, how can you do the same with your brand?

What are your core values? What impact do you want to have on the world? How can you turn this into a story bigger than yourself?

It’ll take some reflection, but it’s worth it.

If you want to build a die-hard audience, you need to involve them in your story, not just give them “value” and sell them stuff.

Book Recommendations

If I was to go into this topic, I’d be writing for hours. So I’m gonna take the lazy way and give you some great book recommendations to dive into these topics:

• Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller

• Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

• Wired for Story by Lisa Cron

These will give you the foundation needed for understanding and telling good stories.

But, that’s all from me today, ladies and gents.

I hope you have a kickass Thursday filled with sunshine and rainbows.

Much love.

Your Canadian friend,

Dakota “Colombian Santa” Robertson