It takes two to... try a really stupid thing

I’m in a pickup truck getting back home from the beach, my friend Bruno at the wheel, when I notice it: 

We’re running out of fuel. 

We’ve been on the road for hours now and, even though we passed loads of gas stations, he’s made no mention of stopping. 

“Bruno, don’t we need to stop for gas?” 

“Nah, we’re still good.”

“Really? The low fuel warning is on.”

“Yeah, but we can go still go for a while when the light comes on.”

“How long is ‘a while’?”

“I don’t actually know. Should we… find out?”

“I’m game if you are.”

We keep going. We drive past another couple of stations, and then we see a sign saying the next one will be the last for almost 100 miles.

“Do you want to risk it?”, I ask. 

“I mean… we have to, right?”

“We really do.”

It’s past midnight already. It would be awful to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, so we stop anyway for a fall-back plan. 

The station has no gallons we can take, so we fill a small plastic bag with fuel, and leave it in the trunk. It would be just enough to get us home. Probably. 

Then we’re back on the road. 

20 miles. 30 miles. 40 miles. 

I can swear the warning light looks brighter, but it’s late and my eyes are tired, so I’m probably just imagining it. 

50 miles. 60 miles. 70 miles. 

I keep waiting for the car to stop. Or for smoke to start coming off the engine…

80 miles. 90 miles. 100 miles. 

But nothing happens. 

We make it to my house. I can’t hardly believe it.

“So… are you going to keep pushing all the way to your house?,” I ask him. 

“I… don’t know if I should.”

“Don’t you want to know how far you can still go? This must be some sort of record!”

“Yeah, but… I don’t want to risk being on my own when the car stops.”

I help him get the fuel from the bag into the tank, and it’s a mess. We lose most of it, but there’s just enough to get him home. 

He drives off, and I’m a little disappointed. 

I can’t help thinking we were so close to doing something special. 

I don’t blame him, though. 

Maybe he could’ve gone farther alone…

But what’s the fun in that? 

If you want to go far…

Giving a TEDx talk is a hell of a long journey… so why do it alone? 

There’s a better way 🤘

Twice a year, my partner-in-crime Brian and I take an intimate group of experts and leaders through a 6-week bootcamp to discover the core of your idea and turn it into a TED-worthy proposal. 

It’s called Road to the Red Dot 🔴 

And doors are open for our Summer Bootcamp. 

Join us for 6 weeks of awesome: https://conquerthereddot.com/road-to-the-red-dot

Any questions? Just hit reply and let me know! 

-Francisco