Day 12: What's your 5 Second Story?

In the book, Storyworthy, the author says that every story revolves around a 5 second clip, where the main character learns something that changes him/her.

If you don't have those 5 seconds where you learned or grew, you don't have a story, no matter how entertaining your tale is.

Example: When you got really drunk while studying abroad and gave a stray cat to a prostitute as a gift. Interesting? Yes. But does it tell a story on its own? No.

Same example, with a 5-second story: You, a blonde girl, are at a high-class brothel and you step into the crowded bathroom and ask the sex workers if they have any foundation because you need a touchup. They all laugh and point to their faces; every single one of them is black, and their makeup will never work for you. You stop to let that moment hit you and wonder about your privilege. Later in the night, you drunkenly give your favorite sex worker a cat. In a way, you're saying, "I see you. I honor you. We are equals."

Which of the two examples do you prefer? Are you putting 5 second stories into your writing, into your presentations, into the tales you tell your friend? Try it, and compare it to the same tale without the 5 second story- you can feel a real difference.