Episode #502

Why You Don't Need A Crazy Story to be a Speaker

With Hal Elrod

“In some ways, my story is a detriment. There’s a pro and a con to having overcoming extreme adversity, because people feel disconnected from it. I’ve had people tell me multiple times after speeches, man, if I went through what you went through, I’d be as happy as you are. And I’m like, no, man, you’re missing the point. The principles I just taught you are what you need to pay attention to.”

Grant’s sitting down with the creator of The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod to talk about how he got into speaking, if and when you need a book to complement your speaking efforts, and how to know if you’re living into your true passions.

“During that time, I was really thoughtful and strategic of, like, what do I want this book to do? And one thing I wanted it to do was to get me corporate speaking gigs. I wanted to raise my fee.”

In this episode, Grant and Hal get into:

  • 00:00 Hal’s early experiences with overcoming hardships.
  • 05:33 Facing doubt early on as a speaker.
  • 07:06 Do you have to have a massive overcoming story to make an impact?
  • 11:31 How reframing challenges led to public speaking.
  • 14:38 Hal’s experience finding his early gigs and getting booked as a speaker.
  • 17:08 What it’s like to get your first paid gig.
  • 20:35 When should you start flying first class?
  • 24:23 Do you need a book to launch your speaking career?
  • 26:55 How do you get started and build momentum?
  • 30:52 When did you know it was time to transition to the next thing?
  • 33:01 How does a speaker know they have what it takes?

 “I got $500, which was my first ever paid gig. I was on top of the world, and it went really, really well. They loved it. And so I was able to share my story, my cutco experience, and then the lessons drawn from both of those, and then that just gave me some confidence, like, oh, wow, I can speak to a corporate audience.”

Not sure if you’ll like this episode? Well, Hal’s got great advice on achieving our goals, too. ⬇️

“If you have multiple goals, which a lot of us do, then what ends up happening is you just make a dent in each one, and you rarely accomplish any single one of them because you’re always scattering your time.”

Want to know exactly how to find and book more paid speaking gigs?

Download our 18-page guide to the 6 proven steps you can use to book more paid speaking gigs in 2024!

About Hal Elrod

Hal Elrod is a family man, first and foremost. He is a loyal husband to his wife of 14 years and a dedicated father to their two children.

He has also lived a life that would break most people. At 8 years old, his sister died in front of him. At 20, his car was hit head-on by a drunk driver at 70 mph, and he was found dead at the scene; his heart stopped beating for 6 minutes. Then, at 37, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and given a 20-30% chance of surviving.

Yet, he’s somehow managed to turn all of his adversities into perspectives and practices that have helped millions of people transform their own lives.

His mission is to elevate the consciousness of humanity, one morning and one person at a time. As an international keynote speaker and the author of 12 books, most notably The Miracle Morning—which has sold over 2 million copies, been translated into 37 languages, and is practiced daily by hundreds of thousands of people in more than 100 countries—he’s doing exactly that.

His latest project is his new book, The Miracle Morning Updated and Expanded Edition, in which he has rewritten nearly every page and added over 70 pages of new content, including two new chapters: “The Miracle Evening: Your Strategy for Blissful Bedtime and Better Sleep” and “The Miracle Life: Your Path to Inner Freedom.”

Hal will entertain, inspire, and empower your audience with his unparalleled energy, extraordinary life story, and proven methods to overcome any challenges they’re facing and transform any aspect of their lives, simply by changing the way they start their day.

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