Another year another dollar. I know how to make people laugh. I have actually polished my comedy skills and know how to make even the coldest mountain crumble. There is a reason why I was crowned the 1991 Heavyweight Class Clown Champion of the World.

But there is something missing, not all is laughs and smiles. The dark side of humor is that it ‘breaks’ a conversation, it breaks a flow, it breaks that special connection that is starting to build with someone else.

So last year, I put my 16oz boxing gloves, and decided that it was time to take that clown mask off, and dare to let out what was behind, under that limelight. And the biggest goal for the coming year, 2024, was set: to improve my storytelling.

I had to dodge a few jabs – I had some friends telling me not to even think about it. Not to waste any time or even money on that. That there was a reason why these days we have social media and the Internet. That campfire stories are a thing for when we used to live in caves and we had not Netflix.

But, as always, I didn’t listen. I read books, I watched videos… but all that theory seemed too dry and impersonal. I wanted to learn this from someone who had been there, done that. Live.

And oh my. I tried Toastmasters, I tried other public speaking places… it wasn’t that easy to find someone or somewhere where to learn storytelling. Many websites had shutdown. Covid – it has brought many projects down. Some were scammers and then the few remaining left were very ‘businessy’. But me, I was looking for something a bit deeper than meeting KPIs and profits in a cold impersonal environment. I was ready to take that mask off and expose the truth behind it.

So I cleaned my glasses, spit on my corner bucket, and looked again. And I saw what seemed to be hidden amongst the fog: there was this storytelling course on duckduckgo (the Google equivalent for those that wear tinfoil hats) – https://www.sydneycommunitycollege.edu.au/course/ACSR

There was not much information on it and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be another time waster (I had done some courses in the past and yes, they didn’t feel very serious. More of a money grabber or at best, some good intent that deflated into some lightweight low learning chair-warming exercise).

In any case, not many other options. The bell rang. Round 1 is starting. So I signed up. The email didn’t arrive, I was wondering what happened – after a while I found out it was in spam (too much tinfoil in my email filters). But I had to save some money and wait… several months. The next intake was booked.

So I wait, keep doing some improv, making some more mountains crumble. And finally, a few months and a few more white hairs later, the time arrives. And it gets cancelled. OH MY!

Remember Goggins – Can’t hurt me. So I fume a bit, go for a walk, have a mental ciggy as the Aussies would say. Fortunately, a few days later there is an email in my inbox that maybe, if there are enough applicants, the course would happen a bit later, in October (getting a bit too close to the end of the year – too close to missing the goal deadline).

And finally, October arrives. Imaginary Confetti pops in the air. The bell rings. Round 2 is starting. We craft a story. The teacher has quite a unique personality and unusual style. But he listens, and he grills you. The story you created – shattered. Knocked down. (I fall. 1, 2, 3…) He grills you until you cry. And I cry… (…8, 9…), but I grab one of the ropes and stand back up!

And in the 7 weeks of the course, I grow some more white hairs and I craft a story.

And we finish the course, I am allowed a little spots in the Toastmasters 100 Year celebration of the club… (I still wonder how they allowed that to happen? They must’ve had a few drinks…).

And I get on that stage, the bell rings again, but this time. It’s Final Round. And I cut and compress that story into 7 minutes (although I go a bit overtime, don’t tell anyone!). There were some jabs, some crosses, some knockdowns… but we go the distance.

And that night I get the blue ribbon – it means, my story has won the Heavyweight Championship Speech of the World (won best speech of the night) and I have, short of 2 months to the end of the year, achieved my goal.

And now, I have lots of friends! On Facebook… 🙁 (sorry, I couldn’t help myself – that 1991 title remains undefeated)