I am beyond humbled. There's not a single word I could think of to describe how I have felt since pouring my heart out on the stage last week. The response has been worldwide and the things that I have heard have been the EXACT reason I do what I do.
I knew I just wanted to put myself in that position of vulnerability and allow myself to only speak from my heart. It could have just as easily gone wrong, and I could have rambled, stumbled on words or even frozen up there. On my heart, I truly had no idea the words I was going to say up there.
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On the rehearsal, all the main TED curators were there to make sure my speech was ready. This was obviously unrehearsed also and, in the middle of a story, I looked down at the clock at saw 17:33 (My speech was only supposed to be 13 minutes long). I apologized to them but they said they liked the story so much that they were going to find 17 minutes for me the next day. I felt it was too easy to say the same story again the next day so I showed up early and asked the AV guys to take out 5 of my pictures so I didn't have that story to depend on (there was many curious faces).
So not me, not the TED curators, not my coach... No one knew what my speech was going to be.
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Before the speech, they told me I had to be in the green room for the entire set before. I didn't want to just sit on the couch so I stood behind the stage and watched the other speakers.
Finally, the stage director said '5 minutes Adam!' and it was honestly the first time it hit me that I had no idea what I was about to say. I asked her if I could have a minute and she (with a look of bewilderment) said 'No!' and told me to sit so the stage hands could mic me up.
Then she said '3 minutes Adam!' and I said 'I really need 1 minute' and I walked to a ramp a few feet away. I just wanted to think of how I was going to tell the Rick (Vietnam vet) story.
But there was no point. I was completely feeling the pressure and my brain was mush. I couldn't think of anything at all.
'1 minute Adam!'
...
That was it. I couldn't put a thought together. I had no idea. And you hopefully could see that the moment I walked out.
But I just made a promise to myself to just speak from my heart. To just pour out my emotions. And I am so grateful with how it came out.
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And now, my mailbox/messages/voicemail, etc are filled from people all over the world that saw my vulnerability and realized that THEY could too do the same thing. That we are no different at all.
I am told new stories every single day of how it gave people the courage to go out and just try the same thing... and how they instantly felt closer to the world, and less alone. I have been told that people who are trying this have lives that are fuller, richer, and more beautiful than ever before. I have already ran into people that recognized me from the speech (that I have never met) that were literally out doing it (and doing it successfully) when we ran into each other.
So I am beyond humbled. There is not one word. This is why I poured every bit of my life, my heart, my vulnerability into the passion I felt from this project. The passion I feel every day from connection.
The world is not changed from one single act. It is changed by making a small difference that has a ripple effect and inspires others to do the same. When others do the same, the ripple effect hits those around them and they do the same. And slowly, lives are changed on a global scale from just a small idea.
We cannot be cynical. We cannot be closed off. We cannot be negative.
We need to bleed with passionate attempts to inspire and love all those around us, so we can continue this ripple effect around the world, and start to reverse what has been happening.
But I cannot do it alone.
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I love and appreciate every single one of you. Thank you so deeply much for every message (It will take a while to get back to them all but I promise I will!).
Now, please go out and find the stories and ask the questions to all those that you meet. Fill them with joy, with love, with connection. And let's change the world for the better, together.
I love you guys.
