How do we learn most effectively?
A preacher or teacher can lecture us with a barrage of facts and figures, hoping to drill a lesson into us.
Or a spiritual guide can inspire us with a story that draws us in and engages us from an emotional point of view.
Which technique works?
It’s been proven long ago that the human brain remembers things far better by using a compelling STORY to illustrate your point.
Teach, don’t preach.
That’s exactly what author Ed Hajim has done in his imaginative new book: The Island Of The Four P’s: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future (Skyhorse Publishers), a fictional tale inspired by Ed’s own remarkable life, captured in his bestselling memoir On The Road Less Traveled. Read all about his remarkable accomplishment in THE EPOCH TIMES.
As a sequel to his memoir, Ed could just as easily have written a non-fiction business book, revealing the secrets to his remarkable Wall Street career, a rags-to-riches story that takes us from a scary and unsettled childhood growing up in New York City orphanages, to his extraordinary success in business and philanthropy. (He surmounted every adversity, his courage making him the recipient of the Horatio Alger Award.)
But instead, he gives us a unique fable about an imaginary character named Marketus, who travels to a magical island on a quest to answers some of life’s basic questions:
What is success? How do you attain it? What really matters? And how do you deal with life’s uncertainties and thrive despite them?
On his life-changing journey, Marketus visits four villages, each of them vividly brought to life with original color illustrations. Meet The Villages of Plans, Partners, Principles and Passions.
As Marketus discovers:
Passion provide energy and enthusiasm driving our lives forward.
Principles guide our most important actions and decisions.
Partners are friends, advisers, and collaborators who help them achieve their goals.
Plans define how we will use our precious time and energy to move toward our goals.
There is a mystical quality to how Ed spins out these themes, never being pedantic, but instead drawing us in with a story that illustrates points of wisdom, without obviously teaching it.
As a bonus, this entire journey is vividly captured in this collectible hardcover book. The publisher, Tony Lyons at Skyhorse Publishing, has done a fantastic job in all respects.
Ed has also demonstrated his commitment to including partners in the creation of this book: He wrote the story with his writing muse Merrill Meadow while I had the privilege of editing the final result.
In the end, Ed has captured the truth of human experience—our striving, courage, joys and fears. And as a philanthropist devoted to helping students with scholarships, mentorship programs, and inspirational graduation addresses—he adds another layer here with his new book. It offers readers of all ages (including teenagers) a compelling journey of the imagination, filled with timeless ideas and practical wisdom.
Now that’s a good lesson wrapped up in a story!
