Great Stories Take Minutes to Happen—And Years to Perfect
Some of the best stories I tell on stage took only a few minutes to live—but they’ve taken me up to 20 years to refine. And even now, they’re never truly finished.
That’s the work of a professional speaker. A word here, a tweak there, sometimes a complete pull-down and rebuild. A great story isn’t just what happened—it’s how it’s told.
I’ve been fortunate to pull from a life packed with unusual experiences:
🎭 The Day I Literally Fell Into the Arms of Murderers – A real-life scene I wished I wasn’t part of.
🎯 The One Item Snipers Never Go Without—And Why It Matters – A tiny object with massive significance.
😂 Need a Good Laugh? Meet the Happiest Man on Earth
🚀 The Time I Told Elon Musk to Shut Up—To His Face – Yes, really.
☕ How I Spilled Coffee on Priceless Jeffery Smart Paintings – Not my finest moment.
🎩 Performing Magic Tricks for the Infamous Bali 9 – Making wonder happen in the darkest places.
🎉 Inside a Kazakh Circumcision Party—What Do You Even Wear? – A cultural deep dive I never expected.
🥪 An Unexpected Lunch with Sir Edmund Hillary – A meal with a legend.
✈️ Up, Up, and Away—Flying with the Real-Life Flying Nun – Some stories take you to the skies.
🐻 Staring Down a Brown Bear—No Cage, No Barrier – A face-to-face moment with nature’s raw power.
🎬 The Day I Shook Hands with Jack Nicholson
🛕 From Builder’s Boots to Monk’s Sandals—Frank’s Unlikely Transformation – The surprising journey of a Taoist monk.
🎲 Three Times I Should Have Died—And How I Got Lucky – Close calls and life lessons.
🐪 How I Became an Accidental Camel Dealer – The wildest business deal I never meant to make.
🪖 My First Day in the Army—And the Strange Power of Smiley Socks – How a small detail changed everything.
🎹 The Life Lesson Victor Borge Taught Me – Wisdom from a master storyteller.
⛓️ Walking Through the Gates of Death Row—And the Sign That Greeted Me – A chilling moment.
But here’s the thing—don’t be fooled into thinking great stories only come from wild adventures.
Some of the most powerful stories don’t come from murderers, billionaires, or near-death experiences. They come from the bus stop, the supermarket, the everyday moments that audiences can see themselves in.
Relatability beats rarity.
A well-told story from the checkout line can have a greater impact than one from a Hollywood set—because it connects.
So, whether you’re a speaker, a leader, or just someone who wants to tell better stories, don’t wait for extraordinary moments. Pay attention to the ordinary ones. They might just be the stories worth telling.
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If we haven’t met yet…
I never considered myself good at change until I went from
-average shot to army sniper
-home movies to National Geographic cameraman
-fumbling card tricks to a professional magician
-never swinging a hammer to building a home
-high school dropout to published author
-business rookie to selling a business
-stutterer to motivational speaker
Turns out I know how to change, I know how to make it simple, and I know how to stand on stage & make it fun so others want to do it too. Happy to talk dates and rates if you have an event.
#change #resilience #motivationalspeaker
