I live to tell stories, and when someone says something to me like “What a story!” I know I’ve accomplished something incredible. It’s even more powerful when I can catch that I’m living through a story, or that one is in front of me – if I just say “Yes” to it. Here are the elements of what makes an incredible story. One where you change, and the people that hear the story change as well. This...
Something I’ve learned about myself, and continue to learn, is how attracted I am to new creation, and not re-creation. That is why I don’t do nostalgia, and I’ve never had an interest in revisiting the chapters of my life. At least, not in the exact same way. I’ve also painted myself into a corner, where in recent years I will take on a topic or challenge, and then not feel any energy to return...
Last week I spoke about the trap I can fall into comparing the impact I have in the world with billionaires, and in the past I’ve also spoken about an “inner mob boss” who lives within me and tells me I’m not doing enough: “I’m only as good as my last envelope”. I live within a paradox where I want to feel at peace, and at the same time I want to believe my best is yet to come. But the chase for...
Do you ever think nothing you ever do will make a difference because of the power other people have in the world? This past week Bill Gates made the news, sharing how he will donate the rest of his net worth over the next 20 years to make the impact it can make today, specifically targeting saving lives in parts of the world where that money will make a huge difference. At the same time, he...
Yesterday I was reminded of what can happen when you throw plans out the window. The following is a transcript of an audio message sent to a friend of mine, Rita, with a few edits for readability and a conclusion added: Robin and I just had this really fun time yesterday. When Robin was waking up, I said, why don’t we go for a drive today? We considered going to this bakery about a ninety...
What if the greatest threat to democracy isn’t the ‘other side’ winning, but millions of us voting without understanding what we’re actually voting for? As I write this, Canadians are voting this week for our Federal election, and what party will be leading us and who will be the next Prime Minister. As is the trend with every election, this one “is the most important”...
If there was one single piece of advice I’d have to give anyone, it’s to “follow the energy”. Earlier this week I had registered a webinar, by an author whose books I own, on a topic of personal interest to me. I thought I’d try to expand my circle a bit so I clicked “Attend”. But, if I’m being honest with myself, there was definitely some...
What if I told you one of the most powerful life philosophies I ever learned came from managing drug use at my 1990s raves and could be the key for a better world? I was first introduced to the term Harm Reduction during my rave promoter days. It spoke to the idea that young people and drug use has been going on for time immemorial and there was no point trying to stop it or pretending it...
I woke up, around 2am, and felt difficulty breathing. I could feel a tightness in my chest. I took in a deep breath – good, I still could, and let it out. For some reason, I was having an anxiety attack in the middle of the night. It woke me up. Years ago I used to think these symptoms were a heart attack. Because it never was, I learned it wasn’t, and no matter how bad I felt, it would pass. I...
Do you have an insidious voice that lives rent free in your head always telling you nothing you do is enough, nothing you have is enough, and you’re never enough? I do. Today I decided to write to an earlier version of me, from seven years ago. A letter I have all the authority in the world to write, because I know the truth, having lived it. The letter is below: Dear 2018 Chris from 2025...
World events and news can be difficult to ignore. However, I have a strict rule at our dinner table that we don’t let the latest crazy tweet or story suck up all the oxygen. That means we need other things to talk about. For the last few months, my family and I have been adapting a practice of each of us sharing something we’re grateful for from that day. The smaller the better. When I introduced...
I find almost everyone using AI is playing the wrong game with it. They’re trying to figure out how to have AI let them do “more”. More productivity, more revenue, more output, more, more, more. This is the same trap humanity has been caught in for decades, if not centuries. AI is just the latest tech tool that is facilitating “more”. For most people, if they were...
As I write this I’m suffering from my second covid infection in less than two months. It was just over 6 weeks ago I wrote that life can be random and unfair sometimes. My wife wasn’t even fully recovered from the previous one and is also infected again. This just sucks. In this moment though I’m grateful for a spontaneous lunch I took with my wife exactly a week ago. I was...
This past Monday I debuted a new topic by Zoom; A Rave Legends Guide to How to Be More Human in an AI World. The entire project went from a spark of an idea to delivered presentation at light speed, which is a telling factor. I was curious so I looked up the original message from my friend Rita that created the cascade. It was dated January 24th. However, more important than the link was her...
Just over a week ago I challenged myself to come up with a topic that could put me on any stage in the world as an AI Expert. Leaning hard into my strengths, story, and interests, I came up with this title: A Rave Legends Guide to How to Be More Human in an AI World The thing is, I felt very confident in summarizing a bunch of thoughts, philosophies, best practices I have and present on this...
My friend Rita sent me a video on the topic of AI from this past week’s World Economic Forum, with a message “Chris, I never send you videos to watch, but you should watch this one.” She was right, she doesn’t send me videos, so I took her note seriously and watched it. But before I shared my thoughts with her, I wanted to know why she wanted me to watch it. “Everything they were talking about...
First, an admission of failure. “The Big Drive 2025” for me is a complete bust. Making money for the sake of making money simply isn’t motivating me. There was value for me in analyzing my past processes, and writing them up in a series of articles for others, but returning to that specific playbook is not working. Because I’m not the same person. There’s an old quote that I feel is relevant in...
You know what’s wild? I’ve written 344 articles on this website, but the hardest thing to write has always been my About page. Seven years ago, I was a wounded man entering middle age who felt like the world’s biggest fake. My website sat there with a blank About page – a digital monument to my shame. I couldn’t tell you who I was because I didn’t know. For...
If I’m truly honest and open, I have an admission to make: I’m sitting here at my desk, trying to write about failure, and realizing I’m failing at failing. Not the kind of failure I promised when I declared this my Year of Failure. More like the embarrassing kind where I’m staring at my screen thinking “what the hell am I doing?” Last night I couldn’t sleep...
I decided to start with an easy failure. Almost two years ago I was talking with a colleague and she suggested I get onto a TEDx stage, and I immediately responded with “No, it has to be TED. THE TED.” That thought lit me up. That was more my style – jump straight to the end. The idea went away until recently when we spoke again, and I found myself feeling the same way. Once I declared that...
It wasn’t exactly the best Christmas for me this week. My oldest kid tested positive for covid on Christmas eve, and my wife tested positive on Christmas morning. The last time my wife had covid, they got so sick with erratic heart beats we had to call an ambulance and have them taken to the hospital. My wife left the hospital in a wheelchair and had to use it for several months. A...
As part of putting myself out there more I was a recent guest on a LinkedIn Live with my good friend Rita around my experience of turning self-doubt into a superpower. We had a lively discussion touching on how to turn unconventional paths into extraordinary success, how authenticity can benefit both personal and professional relationships, and the power of hope in overcoming challenges. Check it...
Last week, I was a guest speaker for a room full of cancer researchers and doctors at Queen’s University, in Canada. I was invited to come talk about impossible goals, and share the framework I’ve designed around it to help people create their own (which will be featured in an upcoming book of mine). To introduce myself I told them a story of who I am and where I’ve come from. I turned my...
One of my takeaways from the past US election is that if people are worried about money there is no space to dream. Who knows how much that affected the actual election, but it’s a truth I’ve lived with. If people are worried about the very basics in their lives, what room is there for anything else? There’s been multiple times in my life where I’ve struggled financially...
Once upon a time I had a LinkedIn profile. It wasn’t great. I was ashamed of myself and my story when I had created it. I downplayed all of my accomplishments, in a weak attempt at trying to appear more “corporate”. My imposter syndrome at the time also had its hands around me like a choke hold, and I didn’t even list my webinar company, StealthSeminar, by name. I listed myself as some sort of...