Inside the Kitchen

I've decided to name all of my behind the scenes speaking adventures "Inside the Kitchen." I thought the name was fun and its says it all. You'll get to learn all the little "inside" details of what goes on behind the scenes and I look to my speaking career a full-time adventure!

My first entry for Inside the Kitchen deals with high hopes and dreams that can change in an instant.

As a speaker you're always excited to receive an e-mail or a call for a prospective speaking opportunity. When someone inquires about your services, you get really excited and you start to think about what you'll do and how you will get there. If you're being invited to a new place or somewhere unique or special, you're mind really gets going. As soon as the excitement comes, it can go away when you discover that the prospect doesn't have the budget, changed their mind or just doesn't call you back. Then it's back to square one as you look for new opportunities to fill your calendar again.

One summer in span of three e-mails I went from having two jobs at a college near my grandparents to no jobs at all. I went from having a contract worth several thousand dollars to having just the loose change in my pocket. Entertainment and speaking is a interesting world.

For every job that you get, you loose several more. This spring has been no different. I was contacted by three different groups about speaking in Dubai, the Bahamas and Las Vegas. You can imagine or the ideas going through my head. I thought of the world travel, a honeymoon for me and my wife and the opportunity to connect with new people. Before you knew things were over. The one group lost their budget, the next group changed their mind and went with someone else and the other postponed their event. Crazy.

So, the world travel is off for now, but several jobs did come in for the fall. Be on the look out for me in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Virginia and Wisconsin. On top of all of that, I just got invited to do something more special. I was offered the opportunity to volunteer as speech coach for a young man with a learning disability. My opportunities this fall will be great, but giving back gives me goose bumps!

We live in a crazy world where things change second to second, but it's all part of the experience of pursuing your passion!