Wherever there is significant money to be made or power to be gained, if the game can be played, the outcome can be manipulated (or at least accused thereof). Even the purest of grassroots movements, powered by the people, is still fertilized by at least some amount of cold hard cash.

You might think the moral of this little story is deception, or greed. Or maybe you’re guessing that with hopes effectively dashed in all things good and pure, I’ve killed Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and I’m hiding the bodies in my garage. But stop, take a breath, and look at things through a different lens. The moral of these stories is more about the power of the person (or people) telling it. The examples I’ve given happen to be the biggest stories and therefore require the most brute force by the storytellers to shift the plot lines.

What about your story though? Think about what it takes to shape the narrative, or even the self-perpetuated fairy tale about who you are, what you do, and why we should all care.

You might not have an abundance of money or power to yield, but you do have the power of the pen.

Use it. Start writing. Get in the game. Start your movement. Craft your fairy tale. Claim your victory. The page is blank and pen poised. You can fix the outcome however you want. You have that power as an author.

What game do you want to rig with your words – social, world change, or closer to home… the game of your life?