This is how you build a time machine

“Never come back.”

I’m with my MBA students, and Cole is giving a speech about leaving home to come to Europe. 

“Everyone in my family told me to come back soon, but my uncle looked me in the eye and told me the opposite. Maybe he was the one who really cared about me…”

Cole wraps up the speech, and takes his seat while the other students clap. 

Before I start asking for feedback, I think this is a great moment to grace my students with one of the most important life lessons I’ve ever learned. 

I look around the room, smile and say, 

“You know you can never go back, right?”

Some of the students look confused, so I add, 

“Once you leave home, you can never go back.”

Ivana gasps and looks close to tears. She had spoken earlier about being homesick, and now I’m worried she’s misunderstood me, so I continue, 

“If you leave abroad for a while, even just for a year or two, of course you can go back home. You might even be able to pick up where you left off. 

“But now you’ve seen a different world. You’ve lived a different life. So you’re not really the same person anymore. 

“And that doesn’t only happen with living abroad–it’s how we feel about our childhood, about being young and carefree, about some of our relationships. 

“Once you move away, you can’t ever go back, really. Sometimes I think that’s what growing up is about.”

I look around and some students are nodding. Some look thoughtful. But at least a couple of them are on the verge of tears. 

Oh crap. 

“Ahm, ok, never mind all that… so what did we like about Cole’s speech?”

I see some hands going up, they look glad for the change of subject. 

As we start talking about how Cole used vocal variety and body language, I’m kicking myself. 

Maybe having all this hard-earned wisdom is no good… 

If I’m not wise enough to know when to keep my mouth shut 🤦‍♂️

What if you can go back? 

I meant what I said. I felt some of that the first time I went back home after a year abroad, and as I moved jobs, countries and… marriages (😅) I’ve only become more convinced of that realisation. 

It’s ok to feel nostalgic. It’s ok to try and bring back some of those magical moments, but if you ever tried going out partying with your college friends as if no time has passed… well, it’s just never the same. 

But the closest we can come to that time machine is a story. The right story can transport you right back in the moment, make you see the some sights, and bring back many of those feelings. 

And if the story is told well enough, it doesn’t even matter if you were there. It will transport you just the same, and give you a window into another life. 

Maybe a life you’d have wanted to live, maybe one you're glad you haven't.

I might not be wise enough to know when to shut up, but I’m wise enough to know that a story, well told… 

Can always take you back 🤘

-Francisco 

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Getting clarity through your story to stand out from all the other coaches, speakers and entrepreneurs out there 

2. If you dream of speaking on the Red Dot, take this Scorecard and instantly discover how likely your idea is to be accepted by a TED-style organizing committee

3. If you (or your team) got any storytelling challenges, I’m sure there’s something we can do together ;-)

Thanks for reading! Reply any time.