Not all examples open doors. Some close them. An example closes a door when it is so far removed from the listener's reality that it creates comparison rather than inspiration. When someone hears about a person who had vastly more resources, connections, or advantages than they do, the example does not expand their possibility space. It shrinks it. They measure themselves against something they cannot reach and feel smaller, not larger. An example also closes a door when it is delivered as a rebuke rather than a gift. 'Why can't you be more like that person?' is not inspiration. It is a comparison that communicates inadequacy. Using examples well means: choosing examples that are close, honest, and specific. Close in background. Honest about the difficulty, not just the outcome. Specific in detail, because specificity makes the story feel real rather than curated. It means sharing the struggle as fully as the success. Most people do not need to hear that someone won. They need to hear that someone failed, felt what they are feeling, kept going, and eventually arrived somewhere. That structure, not the triumph at the end but the human experience of the middle, is what actually opens people. And it means sharing examples generously. If you have one that could shift what someone believes about themselves, give it. That is one of the cheapest and most significant things a person can do for another.