Chapter Eight
All You Need Is One “Yes”
MAY 20, 2009
Just a week into my month in DC, I felt possibility running through my veins. While I gained more confidence every day, I also started getting curious to learn what DC could offer me. In fact, I walked into class a few minutes early on a Monday morning, only to notice a few classmates in the front of the room, talking to the speaker of the day, a friendly colonel and lobbyist named John Garrett. I chickened out on introducing myself and just eavesdropped on the conversation while the room filled up.
BE AN EARLY BIRD
Then I realized something I’d take with me forever in my career: whenever you go to an event, especially one with fewer than a hundred people, make sure to get there earlier than everyone else does, because it gives you an opportunity to personally engage with the speaker, who also tends to arrive early. I’ve also learned to score a front seat at events, because usually the speaker looks to those of us in the front while he or she is speaking, and that creates a bond you can follow up on after their talk.
Colonel Garrett turned and confidently introduced himself to the rest of the classroom, which was now at capacity. He had a kind face, with an indisputable history impressed upon it. During his self-introduction, I began to wonder about all the places he had been for the government, and all the things he had done in the name of national security. He spoke about his personal values, about being a soldier in Vietnam, his experience of war, and the importance of making an impact wherever you go. He was inspiring to me. I can see now that his career was in full alignment with his CORE VALUES: service, discipline, adventure, and community—to name a few. It was admirable how the colonel was able to channel his CORE NATURE so seamlessly into a career with longevity, which is something we all look for in life.
TRAIN YOUR EAR TO KNOW THE INVITATION FOR AN ELEVATOR PITCH
When class was over, everyone got in line to personally speak with the colonel. As I stood and waited my turn, I pulled out a notepad and started writing down all the advice he gave to my classmates, and yet, I couldn’t help but notice that all the students would struggle to talk about themselves. It went like this: a student would say hello and ask him their question, and then he’d respond by asking some version of the prompt, “Tell me about yourself,” which is a clear invitation into an elevator pitch. The conversational cue could also sound something like, What got you interested in government? It could also sound like, What are your goals right now? All of these questions pointed to the same need: a short, concise, and well-rehearsed elevator pitch. Have you given much thought to how you talk about yourself? If not, it might be time to start. When asked, 76 percent of hiring managers think “being interesting” is a top trait for a candidate to possess,1 so how you talk about yourself and what you choose to share matters. It is only the most-asked question both in networking conversations and job interviews.
This question—or some version of it—I observed, was the question I heard most often when I was at another networking event with my classmates the night prior. I watched as some students had it together and sounded polished in their replies, while others seemed as though they were entering a conversational twilight zone as their eyes glazed over with panic. It seemed as though the best conversationalists first had their ear trained and prepared for that moment that would become an invitation to give their well-practiced, intentional elevator pitch. While waiting for my turn, I couldn’t help but think about how ironic it was that so many people struggled to talk about themselves when they literally spend more time with themselves than anyone else. This got me inspired to start writing down bullets on how I could intentionally craft my own elevator pitch.
FOUR STEPS FOR THE PERFECT ELEVATOR PITCH
After paying attention to what elevator pitches seemed to inspire Colonel Garrett, I pulled out my journal and wrote down four words that seemed to sum it up: story, cuff, skill, and goal.
THOUGHTS ON “STORY”
“What got you into taking this course?” the colonel asked Rachel, one of the top students in the class. She replied: “I grew up with a dad who was an immigrant that moved to this country for the American Dream, and I’m the first college graduate in my family. I watched my father face a lot of discrimination when I was growing up, and those moments really solidified my passion to work in civil rights.”
Wow, I thought to myself. She was invited into an elevator pitch, and she answered with a powerful story from her upbringing that somehow tied into her career. She took her current career desire and rooted it into years from her past, giving her answer a sanctity and power that most people don’t communicate with. I was moved listening to her, as I could tell that she was sharing from her heart. The colonel leaned into her story more than he did with anyone else. He, too, was captivated.
University of California, Berkeley, recently shared findings that people exposed to an awe-inspiring experience or speech were more willing to change their beliefs.2 For this reason, if you want to be memorable in your work relationships, or any relationships for that matter, you must instill a sense of awe. Not love. Not belonging, but awe. Do you know how to be captivating or create a sense of awe when you’re talking to people? There is something fascinating about everyone, and it’s key to know what that thing is about you. The most influential speeches of history, like those of Martin Luther King Jr. or Steve Jobs, have been based on capturing an audience with a compelling story that sparks inspiration from what is, to the dream of what could be.3 The way Rachel started off that day, with a story that linked her career to something meaningful in her upbringing, was brilliant. It was brilliant for two reasons: first of all, stories are easy to remember, and secondly, reaching into your childhood for moments that link to your career interest shows the listener that they’re not just hiring someone who woke up and wanted a marketing job; they’re hiring someone who has been on a mission since they were a kid, someone who feels a connection to their work beyond the salary it offers or the tasks in their day, and that is powerful. In doing this, we are able to showcase our why, as well as early indicators of our CORE SKILL SET, which ideally aligns with our career interest.
I sat with the words she used to start her pitch: “I grew up with…” and immediately got inspired to change my own pitch on the spot: I grew up in a house where the news was always on, so from a young age, I was exposed to the happenings of the world. My family members on the East Coast were very impacted by 9/11 and I have since been motivated to become a part of the cause to keep people safe. I wrote this in my journal while the colonel worked his way through the line of students, and kept repeating it to myself in my head.
Do you ever feel cheesy or fake when you plan ahead on what you’re going to say in a conversation? As renowned life coach Steve Chandler once pointed out to me, authentic has the same Latin root as author, and I think it’s authentic to author the things you value in your life, from your elevator pitch to who you are. The alternative? Hope; hoping the right words will come out in the moment that counts the most in your career. It felt right to be intentional about my story. It felt right to give it time and attention and memory. I repeated that story line until it was in my cells. And by having something so ingrained in me, over time I was able to flex and flow with my story every time I was in front of someone. If you don’t get intentional, your nerves run the show, and that is not the look you’re going for. When you practice and get intentional, it’s like your nervous system doesn’t run you anymore, and you can infuse your intentionality into your communication. My take? Practice your elevator pitch until you’re blue in the face. Doing that isn’t fake or forced; it’s intentional and thoughtful.
So how do we link our history with our pitch? My friend Daniel had just accepted a job offer to be an engineer. I thought about how his story could be about how he used to pull computers apart and put them back together when we were kids. Or my friend Kiera, who ended up becoming a neuropsychologist, helping people overcome brain damage, could describe how she used to advocate for the underdog on the playground when we were kids. My friend Barry Griffin, who is currently running for office in the Bahamas, was often volunteering in orphanages and speaking up against political corruption when he was a kid. What were you like as a kid? How can it relate to your career? All my friends’ career choices were organically tied to their individual passions growing up. This created the roots for a powerful story statement at the beginning of their pitch.
THOUGHTS ON “THE CUFF”
While Colonel Garrett was captivated and moved by the stories, I noticed that he didn’t always offer to help the student unless they did something else, and that was when I wrote down the word cuff in my journal. They would drop some sort of authority—they’d do a humblebrag, really—off the cuff. What did this look like? One was a star athlete in college, another had good grades and was accepted into Harvard for grad school, or maybe it was their versatile language skills they’d share off the cuff.
This is exactly what a student named Anthony did when the colonel asked him: “Tell me about yourself.” Anthony shared a story in the same manner in which Rachel had, only he took a golden second step further, which showed the colonel that he was a top performer, right off the cuff. He said, “I’m really grateful to have spent the past few years here in college as the quarterback of the football team—it’s something that’s given me a lot of discipline.” Upon hearing this, I watched how the colonel sat up and said, “I know some people who are looking to hire interns and employees who have that sort of discipline and ability to execute. What’s your email?”
It became abundantly clear to me that if you want to captivate someone and grab their attention, start your elevator pitch with a story. But if you want them to take action and actually help you, share one relevant brag with humility. This brought me back to the question, Is it fake for me to brag like this? And I came back to the desire to be as intentional as possible about how I was communicating about myself. I had too much self-love to let myself drown in a sea of people at any more networking events. I wanted to stand out, and that meant thinking intentionally about this. I then began to wonder what my off-the-cuff asset might be. What made me interesting? Was it that I was fluent in French, or that I was on the dean’s list every single year in college? I didn’t know, and that was okay, but I wrote down in my journal: I’m so grateful that I’m fluent in French, as this is something I plan to bring into my government career. What if you have nothing to brag about? I’m going to go as far as to say here that you always have something to brag about. Ask friends what you have to brag about; I bet they’ll find plenty. Most of all, ask yourself, are you afraid to celebrate who you are and drop a humblebrag? Why?
I’ve found that there is an exception with elevator pitches in this second cuff step: you should never brag to a recruiter in your cuff if you think they have some sort of concern around your job application or qualifications. What constitutes a concern?
Perhaps you’re job-hunting to make a career pivot, and you don’t have experience in the sort of job you’re about to interview for.
Perhaps you have a gap in your work experience because you needed to take some time off, or you lost your job.
Perhaps you had your own business, and now you’re coming back into the workforce.
These things aren’t real concerns in the sense that I don’t think they will hurt your career much in the long run, but recruiters will often notice them and experience a lingering question in their mind about you. The problem with this is that they often won’t raise the concern with you, giving you an opportunity to address it. That’s why I don’t recommend using this cuff section to brag if you’re feeling like something significant is missing when you’re interviewing for a job. When that’s the case, I recommend statements like these:
Resume gaps
“I took some time out of the workforce as I faced a health issue, but I’m so grateful I’m now well and able to fully focus on my career.”
“I left my last job, as it wasn’t a fit for what I wanted to do with my career, and decided to travel the world for a while. In that time, I got a lot of clarity that I’d like to transition into [insert career path here].”
Career pivots
“I loved working in [insert your past job], and I’m so grateful I learned [insert relevant skills here], but what was missing for me was [something this next job will offer you]. Needless to say, I’m excited to be making this transition as it’s more aligned with who I am and what I can do best.”
“I left the workforce to start my own business and it was such an amazing experience, and has made me such a better strategic thinker and action taker. That being said, I decided I prefer being in a more stable path, and that is why I ultimately decided that the workforce makes more sense for me!”
I call it a cuff for a reason, friends! Because it’s off the cuff, in and out, whether you’re taking the bragging route or addressing a perceived shortcoming. Needless to say, there’s a fine line between addressing an insecurity and shining a spotlight on it. That’s why I keep the bragging quick. If there are any objections they may have in mind, I use the cuff to address them with speed. And, by the way, did you notice that I flipped some of these and turned them into an asset? For example, if you took a year off, or you had to take care of your sick mom, don’t worry. Use that and flip it into an asset. Talk briefly about how you took a year off to learn other cultures or languages. Don’t feel ashamed if you had to care for a loved one. These moments in life are assets, not liabilities. They show you have heart, and compassion.
You will make an impact with your elevator pitch, and your job history, when you remember that your resume is less about what you’ve done and more about how you talk about it, both in the words you use and the energy you’re speaking from. By the way, that’s another reason why memorizing an elevator pitch is so powerful, because it supports you in having more confident energy when you talk about yourself. Think about it: if you know what you’re going to say, you can instead shift all your focus onto your energy and your delivery. Practice breeds certainty, and certainty breeds confidence, you know?
Stop seeing moments of transition as gravestones on your resume. The truth is they’re stepping-stones. The real issue you face as a job seeker is owning your energy, because the energy you speak from when you talk about these stepping-stones is what builds trust. Life is always challenging you to up your game, so use it.
I didn’t know it then during that May class, but years later, these journal notes would become a four-step formula I would teach to thousands of job seekers and continue to use today.
THE FORMULA
1. YOUR STORY: Captivate Your Audience.
Inspire the listener by linking your CORE SKILL SET (or chosen industry) for your career to a story from your childhood. This needs to be one that solidifies your passion or provides context for your career. A suggested start is “I grew up in a house where…” or “Looking back, I was always the kid that…”
2. THE CUFF: Where You Can Humbly Brag or Address a Concern.
Share your greatness with gratitude. For example, you can start with “I’m so grateful that I…” and then share something badass about yourself, a specific asset you can bring to your next job—it could be anything unique or relevant about you, be it a foreign language you speak or a special training you have. Remember: you don’t have to come across as bragging; just share something out of gratitude about your greatness. And, of course, if you have an area of concern—a gap on your resume, a career pivot, etc.—you know what to do from the scripts above.
3. SKILL: Know What Skill the Recruiter Wants You to Have.
Every hiring manager is yearning for their next hire to have at least one particular skill that would be a game changer for them to have on their team. Your job is to ask yourself what that skill is, given the job you’re interested in and the sorts of people they need to hire. See the following table for examples of skills associated with specific career fields or positions.
Career Field or Job |
Skill Set |
Intelligence or counterterrorism |
Identify patterns in data |
Counselor |
Ability to listen |
Writer |
Creativity |
Startup or Business Entrepreneur |
Innovation |
Accountant |
Attention to detail |
Here’s the key. You don’t want to share that you have this one skill by touting yourself, like “I’m amazing.” Instead, put it in testimonial format. This means instead of saying, “I have a gift for attention to detail,” dig in the depths of your past to find someone credible who complimented you on that skill. That can look like, “My boss used to always tell me that I have a gift for [insert ideal skill], and I know this is going to be useful in this position we’re discussing.” If your boss didn’t love you up for the skills your mama gave you, go down the ranks: Did your professors celebrate it? Did your colleagues ever notice it? Worst case, perhaps your friends did. By any means necessary, put the compliment in third-party testimonial format when you speak it.
4. GOAL: Get the Job You Want.
This is the end of your pitch, and it’s where you must share why that job, or company, specifically matters to you. That could be because of their mission statement, their processes, their client roster, their corporate responsibility, their culture, their press coverage … anything. Your job is to find out why they’re special to you, and relay it to them. In a lot of ways, job hunting is like dating. No employer wants to hire you because you just need a job or a salary hike. They want to hire people who want to work specifically for them. It really is like dating, huh? So your goal statement could sound like this: “I’m particularly excited about this opportunity because [insert something special about the company or its mission here].”
Or, let’s say you’re not interviewing for a job, but you’re networking, in which case your goal isn’t to get the job; it’s for the person to perhaps be of support to you. That could look like, “I’m excited at the moment to be transitioning into a role doing [skill set], ideally in the [put the industry here] industry.” You must make it crystal clear what you are looking for. That could sound like: “At the moment, I’m looking for an internship, ideally doing research in the national security arena.”
I was so engrossed with all the lessons my impromptu eavesdropping session brought into my life. In fact, I almost missed the colonel as he was preparing to leave because I was seated, taking so many notes on this whole divine elevator pitch download I was getting. It was now or never, I said to myself. This was my shot at talking to him, so I closed my journal and packed up. I was terrified to walk up to him and felt my words slipping from my memory as I prepared to talk to him. Some of the most magical opportunities in life come not from a series of big events, but rather from that one courageous step when you decide you’re going to walk up to someone and say hello, or walk into the networking event you would rather hide from.
“Colonel Garrett,” I called out as he was about to walk out of the building.
He turned with a friendly, warm smile in his eyes. “Did you write down all of my secrets, or are you looking for more?” Busted. Except not really, as I wrote a whole formula for elevator pitches based on what I heard that I liked, and what I didn’t, among the students.
Before I could say a word, he continued and said, “Actually, I thought it was a great idea … listening to other students ask their questions as a way to soak it all in and learn.” Busted again. My only option was to own it, so I smiled and said, “I am resourceful like that.” He smiled and asked how he could be of service.
In that moment, I went into the elevator pitch I had written in my journal only minutes before: “Well, I grew up in a house where the news was always on, and from a young age I really cared about the happenings of the world. My family was really impacted by 9/11, and I think that really solidified my interest in government, so that I could do something about it … That’s what inspired me to become fluent in French, and I plan to also become fluent in Arabic…”
Then, I stalled. I couldn’t remember my four key steps.
Shoot. Story, cuff … and, oh, that’s right, I reminded myself: skill and goal.
After a slight cough to mask my internal dialogue, I continued: “A lot of my professors have told me that I have a knack for writing, so I’m looking to bring that into an intelligence analyst career right after grad school. I actually head to London for a one-year master’s program in a few weeks…”
LIFE HAPPENS IN MOMENTS OF COURAGE
I gasped for air, nervous, awaiting his reply. He smiled with warm eyes, and it was in that moment that I knew he was going to change my life in some way. I didn’t know how it would look, or what he would do to help, but I knew that he was a special person. I thought about how that moment of mustering up my courage wasn’t about figuring out what I’d say to him, nor was it about figuring out what he’d say in return … I realize now that it was about taking only two steps: finding the courage to say something that sparks a conversation, and trusting myself to let the rest unfold.
Life happens in moments, doesn’t it? In those brief little seconds when you decide to say hello to someone, stand a second longer and have that awaited conversation, or get courageous and ask for what you want. Think back on your life: Was there one moment in particular when you got courageous and said hello to someone that made a big difference for you? It was so funny to me, thinking about how often I used to believe life was about these times where we’d get a “big break” when really, it’s these little courageous moments that consistently create the big breaks. And it’s about choosing, every single time, to show up and create these moments.
Colonel Garrett spoke up:
“I’m going to a dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill with a bunch of people from the Secret Service and the State Department. Would you like to come along?”
The invitation felt intimidating, but I couldn’t think of anywhere else better for me to be, so I said “yes” without even blinking. I wondered if I was good enough for such a table full of people, if I’d have anything interesting (at my young age) to add to the conversation, and then I realized my only option was to be myself. Do you ever get anxious at a table of people you believe to be more successful than you are? That was me that night. I thought to myself, if I was able to impress the table with some quick conversation, I’d have to keep that up! But what I didn’t have to “keep up,” though, was just being myself. In situations where you’re anxious about meeting someone or being in a tough social setting, remember that being yourself is underrated.
As we walked to dinner, I thought about my elevator pitch, and how I could talk about myself to those at the table. Gosh, I needed to impress them. What the heck would I even say? Maybe less was more. Maybe I should stay quiet. My thoughts ran amok, so when we walked in the door, I excused myself to go to the restroom. I stood in the stall, popped my journal open, and reread my four steps in my notes:
Story: My “Why,” or a life story linking to my career skills or interests.
Cuff: Something that makes you awesome or explaining yourself.
Skill: Being grateful for a skill you plan to use in your career.
Goal: What you’re looking to do next, where you could need help.
REALLY, DON’T BURN BRIDGES
I was ready for anyone to say, “Tell me about yourself,” or any version of a prompt that would bring me into my elevator pitch. I breathed in, breathed out, and walked toward Colonel Garrett’s dinner table, surprised to see a familiar face: the mayoral candidate who let me eat his burger that night out with the marine, Collin. He smirked and looked at the colonel. “Good choice of a student to bring to dinner. I know Ashley. She’s fun … Want to share a burger, by chance?” he asked with a smile, as if it was our little secret. It was in this moment that I truly understood the importance of never burning a bridge, and the smallness of the government world.
The rest of the table looked at me, curious to connect, and asked about my plans for the future. I hung on to my elevator pitch for dear life and watched them all nod. I talked about how I just got into King’s College London’s Graduate Program in War Studies, and how I was about to start it in just a couple of weeks. Then I just started asking questions about them because I read a book that said people think you’re more interesting if you’re interested in them. When I got home that night, I refreshed my email in-box and saw more than seven email introductions to contacts in London. The colonel later told me that he gave everyone at the table my email, and asked them all to go through their contacts and see how to help me. Networking isn’t a single event, and it doesn’t happen only when you throw on a name tag. It’s a way of life. It’s a repeated choice to wake up every morning and create conversations that turn into opportunities.
ALL IT TAKES IS ONE “YES”
All it takes is one yes, I thought. I looked back on all the times I put myself out there only to be rejected (most of the time), and realized that I needed to keep flexing this muscle no matter what. Was it petrifying? Yes. In fact, the thought of choosing a life where I constantly put myself out there made me feel nauseous.
The only thing worse, I decided, was living a life where I left my potential on the shelf, dying with my music or my art inside me. That’s what it looks like when you choose to let life happen to you, isn’t it? Realize that those tiny moments when you choose to stand on the sidelines of opportunity represent a habit that is robbing you of your greatness. Showing up and putting myself out there, whether it was in my DNA or not, would become a muscle I’d choose to build. I knew there would be a conversion rate of yeses that would happen in my life, if I was willing to face many more noes. Like my grandpa Sol used to tell me, “If you knock on tons of doors, you’ll eventually get a ‘yes.’” Ultimately, the discomfort of the small, more frequent rejections is simply the price you have to pay to play the game of life. In the weeks that followed, I experienced the magic that came from using my elevator pitch. Every time we had a speaker in class, I would wait to connect with them last, one-on-one, in a more casual way, walking them out. It gave me an invaluable lesson on human interaction.
Just as I began to really settle into my life on Constitution Avenue, it was time to pack for London. The summer rain pelted onto the cab window as I headed to the airport. The driver tried to talk to me, but I was feeling too scattered and nervous about my move to have any real conversation. Leaving DC felt emotional, as though I’d found a part of myself there I was worried I’d leave behind. I looked back at the Washington Monument as we headed onto the freeway, placed my right hand fondly on the window, and whispered quietly to myself, Goodbye, DC. I felt the power of the city permeate my system as we drove away, and I was so grateful for all I had learned in those short weeks.
I arrived at Dulles International Airport at 5:45 AM, a couple of hours before my flight. After checking my luggage, I sat in a bagel shop and kept compulsively refreshing my email. A headline suddenly appeared in my in-box, taking the wind out of me: Welcome to the Mishcon de Reya Human Rights Team. I must have reread the email ten times, in disbelief that the same law firm that once represented Princess Diana would be hiring me as their intern. My excitement buzz about the internship put me into total exhaustion by the time I boarded the plane. I slept through all seven hours of the flight, and woke up from a deep slumber, practically drooling on the shoulder of the woman next to me, as we were descending into London.
YOU TURN #8: DISCOVER HOW TO craft the perfect elevator pitch
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is in overlooking the obvious: how to talk about themselves and their resume. We get so scared that interviewers will ask us crazy questions (which they may) that we tend to forget the basics: How do you talk about yourself? How do you channel your strengths into a page-long resume that shows your power? How do you walk the recruiter through your resume?
This chapter is about a few key concepts: mustering courage in moments when you could choose to let life pass you by, knowing when you’re being invited into an elevator pitch, and being intentional about creating an elevator pitch. The prompt could sound like:
Tell me about yourself.
What got you interested in [subject]?
Why did you apply for this role?
Who the heck are you?
You get what I mean.
Also know that this formula is meant for longer conversations, which could look like a coffee meeting, a nice conversation at a networking event, or a job interview. It’s not meant for someone who is a drive-by hello, who isn’t showing interest in you. Your elevator pitch is meant to live in conversations, not in emails.
What are some other ways to have a powerful networking conversation, where you’re likely using your elevator pitch? One thing I love telling clients in my Job Offer Academy course is to ask a couple of key questions when it comes to informational coffees and networking conversations:
1. Do you have any suggestions for how I can stand out as a candidate? This question tends to inspire people to offer to pass your resume around, because, let’s face it: that is how you stand out as a damn candidate. This question isn’t geared for job interviews, obviously.
2. Do you have any suggestions of companies I should look into that are perhaps not on my radar?
This question tends to inspire people to connect you to their friends at other companies. This question is also not meant for job interviews, obviously.
USE THIS NOW
1. What is your CORE SKILL SET you’re carrying into the workforce?
2. What is a story from your upbringing that demonstrates you using that skill?
3. Start your story statement with “I grew up in a house where,” or “I was always the kid that” in the space provided after step 7. Don’t exceed one to two lines for your story.
4. Are you interested in jobs that align with your past experience or are you making a pivot?
a. If you’re aligned, then come up with a humblebrag for your cuff statement, one that is relevant for the job.
b. If you think your interviewer has an objection or concern over your application (e.g., a career pivot or resume gap), write your cuff statement explaining yourself in the space provided after step 7.
5. What is the one skill your next job really would want to hear that you have (i.e., their biggest need and pain point)? Write down if there’s been a time where you’ve been complimented for it! The ideal compliment would come from your boss, but if not, then your colleagues would be the next ideal people in ranking order.
6. What is your goal statement?
a. If you’re networking, the statement should relate to what you’re transitioning into (i.e., “At the moment, I’m looking into communications or marketing, ideally for a fashion brand,” or “I’m here in hopes of meeting more people who [state the ideal contact you’re seeking]”).
b. If you’re in a job interview, the goal is to get the job, so the statement should be why you want to work for them specifically (e.g., “I’m excited about this position in particular because [insert authentic flattery about their mission statement, their corporate values, or whatever moves you]”).
7. Study and practice your elevator pitch until you’re blue in the face. Know it so well that it’s in your cells, and it flows or shifts a bit every time you say it. Write it in full here:
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CONCLUSION
Deciding to put myself out there as a way of life is what changed my path the most—moments like the one when I mustered the courage to say hi to the colonel, or when I mustered the courage to say “yes” to dinner with his friends. It’s key to recognize when you’re being invited into an elevator pitch. It’s also key to tap into a moving, quick story about your life that inspires someone to listen to you. Needless to say, mentors are everything. The colonel became a mentor to me, and he helped me in ways beyond my imagination.