Evan Carmichael - Your One Word: The Powerful Secret to Creating a Business and Life That Matter

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Lao-tzu (ancient Chinese philosopher, known as the founder of philosophical Taoism)

If you had one shot, or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted. One moment. Would you capture it or just let it slip?

Eminem (rapper and bestselling US recording artist)

Evan, I paid you big money. I flew you halfway around the world to be here today. You better make this audience come alive!

Those were the words the organizer of the conference in Malaysia said to me two minutes before I was due on stage to kick off his event.

Quite the pep talk.

Malaysia Social Media Week (MSMW) was a big deal. I walked into the hall and could tell these guys meant it. Huge room. Giant stage. Bright lights. High-end audiovisual gear. Cameras from every angle. Chairs filled the room and people were streaming in. For the first time in a while I was really nervous. Eminems lyrics were in my head. I didnt want to let my shot slip. Somehow between the jet lag and caffeine/sugar rush from a Frappuccino I steadied my nerves and told the organizer,

Dont worry, Norman. I got this.

Id gone to Malaysia to discuss a powerful secret Id discovered and that changed my life, my business, and those of the entrepreneurs Id introduced it to. Norman had reason to be worried, though. Hed asked me to come speak after seeing my YouTube videos. He liked my passion and wondered if I could pass it on to entrepreneurs in his country. In front of the largest audience MSMW had ever seen, senior government officials, some of the nations top marketing influencers, and an international web audience, I was about to take the stage. If I didnt deliver, Norman would be on the hook for bringing this Canadian YouTuber to headline their event.

What happened next was amazing.

I got up and shared the One Word secret that had changed everything for meand the audience loved it. Laptops were pounded on furiously with notes. The session was trending nationally on Twitter. The large screen keeping track of live interactions updated so quickly that you couldnt read it anymore. By the end of the hour people lined up, not to ask questions, but to take pictures with me. I went from unknown to rock star in sixty minutes. The best part was coming out and seeing Norman. He was smiling from ear to ear and gave me a bone-crushing handshake that seemed to last for days and a heartfelt message: Thank you for helping us believe.

In this book Im going to share that One Word secret to help transform you into a powerful force for good and help get you through your worst days.

No one really has a bad life... Just bad moments.

Regina Brett ( New York Times bestselling author, newspaper columnist)

Danny, I quit.

I couldnt believe those words were coming out of my mouth. All my life I grew up believing that you should never quit something thats important to you. My parents always told me that I was a Castrilli-Carmichael and could do anything, and here I was telling my business partner that I was done. Finito. Out.

I was over at my parents house for dinner and took the call from Danny upstairs. The past year had been really hard. Id turned away six-figure jobs to do my own business, and ended up making only three hundred dollars a month and not being able to survive. When my friends invited me out for birthdays or dinners, I had to say no. I told them I was busy working on my business, but the reality was that I couldnt afford the twenty dollars the evening would cost, and I was too embarrassed to tell them that I didnt have any money. I mean, here I was, turning down jobs they wanted so I could live the entrepreneurs dream. How could I tell them the truth? I felt like a huge fraud.