Should I Tell a Story or a Narrative?

When I heard Michael Margolis talk about the difference between Narrative and Story, my mind was blown. He defined narrative as a framework that someone else can see themselves in, whereas a story is about a specific situation in a certain time and place. A story has an end; a narrative scales. An example he gave was the American Dream - an idea people align with.

This distinction explains why some ideas, brands, and movements outlast their creators. A story captures a moment; a narrative builds a shared reality. Stories evoke emotion, narratives invite participation.

I started looking closely at the stories that outlived others in my life, trying to evaluate which ones were narratives. It's true, there are two kinds. Some that bring up feelings and some that I saw myself in like, "this is the kind of person I am." The narratives were mostly religious...about supporting others, confronting deception, etc. or shaped by my parents overcoming a challenge or making pivotal decisions.

I'm fascinated by a narrative's capacity to invite millions and billions of ppl, whether across time generationally, or across space, uniting people in mass. This is exactly why narrative is something I strive to master in my work. It looks like a brand and communication strategy, but it's more powerful than that for me. It's about ppl aligning around truth. And THAT exploration is super exciting!