[Music]
[Applause]
God’s never been so good for me I had to
say it you know I was gonna say I wasn’t
gonna say that when I got out here I
just sometimes I just revert you know I
got the I still got issues to work on
but but I’m liking the odds I don’t
believe in impossible and the reason
that I don’t believe in impossible is
because I have overwhelming evidence
that it actually doesn’t exist I I was
born in rural southern Alberta don’t
have high school at 26 I was the head of
a three billion dollar organization that
was the cornerstone of what we now know
today as the cloud computing industry at
32 I was at the base of the World Trade
Centers wondering why I was alive and so
many people weren’t at 35 that was
bankrupt I was a hopeless addict and I
was living on the streets of Vancouver’s
East End at 42 I was in a loving
relationship had a daughter on the way
at 42 I was diagnosed with lymphoma
cancer at 45 I founded a company called
earth cast that endeavored to put
cameras on satellites in space so that
we could all see an unabridged view of
the world in one meter video resolution
we did it
we put cameras on the International
Space Station at deloitte and touche
called us the most exciting and
important techcom
in Canada about 49 I’m in front of an
esteemed audience of people who care
about changing the world that’s
impossible
it is beyond impossible we have all
faced and experienced impossible in our
life we all have inextricable evidence
that impossible does not exist you have
done things come through things and
overcome things that were not possible
to be done how I stumbled upon my
impossible and how to overcome it was
quite by lucky wasn’t necessarily good
luck but it was not luck
nonetheless when I was living on the
streets of Vancouver I had one
possession left fittingly that one
possession was a key this key was to a
jeep see in my years of trying to get
clean I did have lots of help I have
loving friends and loving family and one
of my bouts of getting clean I had
actually strung together about 90 days
of sobriety my very best friend in the
world
found me help me help me get clean
he said if you get string 90 days
together I’m gonna we’re gonna like take
this to the next level I’m really gonna
help you ended up enabling me another
story but what he did at the end of that
90 days was he got me an apartment he
hooked me up with job interviews bought
me a computer this is a good friend he
bought me a jeep right I need a jeep to
get from my apartment to my job which I
didn’t quite have yet but he was setting
me up
he was pretty smart though he didn’t put
the Jeep in my name because he knew that
if I fell again
which I had done several times before
that he didn’t want that Jeep in my name
because he knew what I would sell it and
I would use it for drugs to do my
absolute best to kill myself or escape
well I did fall I wound up back on the
street and I couldn’t saw the Jeep but I
could loan it out
so I did so I load it out to a gang on
the street in exchange for my do see my
drugs of choice and I thought hey this
is a pretty good trade I give them a
Jeep
every once while they hook me up ok you
know I come up from behind my garbage
can that worked the first time the
second time I showed up to say hey guys
I get the beating of a life and then it
became sport and every time that any
member of that gang or crew would see me
I was in for a beating several days
after I’d gotten out of the hospital
from a beating and severe concussions I
happen to see a Jeep don’t ask me what
possessed me to see if this key fit in
that door because everything in the
world said do not try but I was not of
sound mind so I tried and it worked and
as luck would have it the second that
door opened I heard a yell from down the
street they said hey and in that moment
I was crystal clear that I wouldn’t live
to the end of the day if that gentleman
caught me I got in the Jeep I turned it
on and I drove it just so happened to be
that Jeep was on Hastings Street if
anybody’s familiar with Vancouver and
the Jeep happened to be pointed west
excuse me East and I just drove I didn’t
know how close he was I didn’t know if
he was chasing me I didn’t know if there
was other people that were coming behind
him but I drove I was in no condition to
drive the only good thing about driving
in that situation was that I had
adrenaline going and that was important
because if the adrenaline wasn’t going I
would have been coming down off a high
and starting to go through withdrawal I
got just outside of an Coover I can’t
tell you that place but it was a safe
way I pulled into the parking lot I was
shaking I got out of the Jeep now you
need to imagine the scenario I had a set
of clothes on that I had been wearing
for probably weeks they were cut bloody
dirty goodness knows what I smelled like
probably hadn’t eaten for a couple of
days I also had no teeth on the upper
part of my mouth because I have knocked
them all out during different seizures
and overdoses I had no money I was in a
Jeep that I couldn’t prove was mine and
I had no identification much less I
didn’t know if somebody was about to
pull into that parking lot and kill me
impossible is being here in front of you
talking today
and if I would have thought at that
moment how am I going to repair my life
how am I going to get clean how am I
gonna get my family back how am I gonna
get out of bankruptcy I could not have
done it I would have taken a drug and
jammed it back in my arm and gone down
the same path together but in that
moment I had to have clarity and I asked
myself a question no I didn’t realize
this is the question I asked but
inevitably the question we asked what’s
most important to me about this
situation
what is it about impossible that I
really want to solve and what I really
wanted to solve is I just wanted to be
safe I just needed to be I just didn’t
want to die that day it was probably the
first time in years I realized I didn’t
want to die at least not that way and so
I made the decision I’m not gonna die
today that was it
that’s the only decision I had to make
and the next question I asked was okay
how do I stay safe I didn’t realize this
was the question I asked until I
analyzed it afterwards but it’s key to
understand how we achieve impossible
because it’s really three simple things
what’s most important to me about this
and the second question is what’s the
answer and the answer was simply I
needed to get to my brother’s place back
in southern Alberta it was a long way
away it was safe he might take me in he
might not I don’t know I certainly done
lots to deserve not to be taken back in
but at least he wouldn’t kill me which
was a well maybe his wife would he’ll be
pretty sure but I hope that she wasn’t
home when I got there so that’s all I
had to do and the next question what can
I do right now what can I do in this
moment this instant to get closer to
that knot what are all the 500 things I
need to do what are not all the things
that have to
up and just what can I do right now and
the only answer I could come up with was
I needed to ask for help so I literally
went around the parking lot asking for
help believe me you wouldn’t have given
it to me and nobody did either but in
the process of elimination I realized
because I’ve been on the street and I’d
learned how to beg a bet I need to ask
for something specific
it’s really quite intriguing how clever
homeless people can be so I asked for
something specific and I knew better
than to ask for money I asked for a
phone I went around the parking lot
asking for a phone I said look I I have
somebody to call I just need to ask
somebody for help because my thinking
was well nobody here will help me maybe
somebody I know will help me or maybe
not but I need to do something to stay
safe it was just the next thing so
somebody gave me a phone made a bunch of
phone calls couldn’t get ahold of
anybody got hang-up person had to leave
I asked a bunch more people three or
four people later three or four phones
later I finally got through to somebody
that would take my call that person was
the former CFO of the company that I had
built with him years ago
his name’s Blair better knew my shtick
very well I had called him several times
telling him enormous ly ridiculous lies
of how he needed to send me money and I
needed to pay rent and I needed and and
often he would do it but he like
everybody else in my life was now on to
me and that stick was up he wasn’t going
for it
Blair’s a smart guy he said cam I’ll do
something for you since were UI so I
have no idea
I said what’s around you and I told him
there’s a safe way is there a Western
Union in that safe way so at this point
had to give the phone back had to ask a
bunch other people to get a phone got
another phone when in look yes there’s a
Western say there’s a Western Union I
asked the lady he’s an athlete at
Western Union what the store number is
but blah did that
he’s got me back in the phone he says
I’m gonna send you 12 dollars and 85
cents $12.95 he’s a very smart guy he
said first of all you need to know the
exact number because there’s no way that
somebody’s gonna give you any money
you have no idea look like shit you
smell like shit you’re ugly you’re
stupid you’re an idiot
like who’s gonna give you like so you
need to know the exact amount of money
and I don’t want to give you enough
money to really get yourself in danger
because even at that moment when he said
he was gonna send money as an addict
I was thinking if it’s 50 bucks you know
it’s just how it mind works say
something send your $12.95 what you do
with it is up to you but when that
$12.95 runs out if you’re still alive
I’ll help you again
long story short no aidid nothing we
convinced the Li that the wire came in
and she gave it to me believe it or not
against every policy and rule there is
out there it took hours security guards
were ushering me in and out it was it
was drama I got the money I filled up
with a little bit of gas I got some
insure I don’t know if it break it lived
on that stuff and I just started driving
until I was low on gas again and I
really started looking for a safe way I
got to a Safeway and I did the same
thing it took me ten days to get back to
southern Alberta there my brother’s
place it took me ten days because lots
of times I did run out of gas and lots
of times I woke up maybe a day later and
lots of times I was in the back of that
Jeep puking my guts out and wondering
what was next and all I really cared
about was I just need to be safe and I
just need to do the next thing
impossible isn’t about doing everything
and figuring out how I would have the
complete and total honor to be in front
of you here today it was only about
doing something and that something is
just the next thing the Nelson Mandela’s
of the world the mother teresa’s of the
world they look back on their life and
I’m sure they didn’t go this is what I
planned I plan to do all these
impossible things they just did the next
thing they had something they cared
about they had something that they
wanted to achieve and sure them sure
they had lots of ideas and ways to get
there but what they did was just the
next thing when I listened to Rachel on
the stage earlier today and I thought
about how she talked that she was just
asked those three words can you help us
I’m sure she wasn’t thinking that oh my
gosh we’re gonna save a rainforest she
just did the next thing she went home
and she wrote a letter I’m sure in that
moment she wasn’t thinking about Oh a
man I’ll not follow through in my
partnership Locke
and everything else we can’t think about
but that’s when things become impossible
that’s what impossible becomes real
impossible doesn’t stand a chance
against just doing the next thing we’re
gonna hear from Sophie at the end of the
talks today and she’s gonna talk about
how something as big as the refugee
crisis and she doesn’t try to solve the
whole refugee crisis she just did the
next thing and the impact that she’s had
because she just did the next thing so
how the story actually unfolded was that
it took me ten days to get back to my
brother’s place and when I got back to
my brother’s place something amazing
happened he said Karen come on him and
my arms were around him and his wife and
they were literally carrying me into the
house and I said oh why are you gonna
help me this time he said did you have
ten days cleaned
I hadn’t had ten days cleaning for years
I didn’t think ten days ago about seeing
cleaning for ten days I only thought
about getting to my brother’s place and
just doing the next thing that’s how we
accomplished impossible
you
[Applause]
God’s never been so good for me I had to
say it you know I was gonna say I wasn’t
gonna say that when I got out here I
just sometimes I just revert you know I
got the I still got issues to work on
but but I’m liking the odds I don’t
believe in impossible and the reason
that I don’t believe in impossible is
because I have overwhelming evidence
that it actually doesn’t exist I I was
born in rural southern Alberta don’t
have high school at 26 I was the head of
a three billion dollar organization that
was the cornerstone of what we now know
today as the cloud computing industry at
32 I was at the base of the World Trade
Centers wondering why I was alive and so
many people weren’t at 35 that was
bankrupt I was a hopeless addict and I
was living on the streets of Vancouver’s
East End at 42 I was in a loving
relationship had a daughter on the way
at 42 I was diagnosed with lymphoma
cancer at 45 I founded a company called
earth cast that endeavored to put
cameras on satellites in space so that
we could all see an unabridged view of
the world in one meter video resolution
we did it
we put cameras on the International
Space Station at deloitte and touche
called us the most exciting and
important techcom
in Canada about 49 I’m in front of an
esteemed audience of people who care
about changing the world that’s
impossible
it is beyond impossible we have all
faced and experienced impossible in our
life we all have inextricable evidence
that impossible does not exist you have
done things come through things and
overcome things that were not possible
to be done how I stumbled upon my
impossible and how to overcome it was
quite by lucky wasn’t necessarily good
luck but it was not luck
nonetheless when I was living on the
streets of Vancouver I had one
possession left fittingly that one
possession was a key this key was to a
jeep see in my years of trying to get
clean I did have lots of help I have
loving friends and loving family and one
of my bouts of getting clean I had
actually strung together about 90 days
of sobriety my very best friend in the
world
found me help me help me get clean
he said if you get string 90 days
together I’m gonna we’re gonna like take
this to the next level I’m really gonna
help you ended up enabling me another
story but what he did at the end of that
90 days was he got me an apartment he
hooked me up with job interviews bought
me a computer this is a good friend he
bought me a jeep right I need a jeep to
get from my apartment to my job which I
didn’t quite have yet but he was setting
me up
he was pretty smart though he didn’t put
the Jeep in my name because he knew that
if I fell again
which I had done several times before
that he didn’t want that Jeep in my name
because he knew what I would sell it and
I would use it for drugs to do my
absolute best to kill myself or escape
well I did fall I wound up back on the
street and I couldn’t saw the Jeep but I
could loan it out
so I did so I load it out to a gang on
the street in exchange for my do see my
drugs of choice and I thought hey this
is a pretty good trade I give them a
Jeep
every once while they hook me up ok you
know I come up from behind my garbage
can that worked the first time the
second time I showed up to say hey guys
I get the beating of a life and then it
became sport and every time that any
member of that gang or crew would see me
I was in for a beating several days
after I’d gotten out of the hospital
from a beating and severe concussions I
happen to see a Jeep don’t ask me what
possessed me to see if this key fit in
that door because everything in the
world said do not try but I was not of
sound mind so I tried and it worked and
as luck would have it the second that
door opened I heard a yell from down the
street they said hey and in that moment
I was crystal clear that I wouldn’t live
to the end of the day if that gentleman
caught me I got in the Jeep I turned it
on and I drove it just so happened to be
that Jeep was on Hastings Street if
anybody’s familiar with Vancouver and
the Jeep happened to be pointed west
excuse me East and I just drove I didn’t
know how close he was I didn’t know if
he was chasing me I didn’t know if there
was other people that were coming behind
him but I drove I was in no condition to
drive the only good thing about driving
in that situation was that I had
adrenaline going and that was important
because if the adrenaline wasn’t going I
would have been coming down off a high
and starting to go through withdrawal I
got just outside of an Coover I can’t
tell you that place but it was a safe
way I pulled into the parking lot I was
shaking I got out of the Jeep now you
need to imagine the scenario I had a set
of clothes on that I had been wearing
for probably weeks they were cut bloody
dirty goodness knows what I smelled like
probably hadn’t eaten for a couple of
days I also had no teeth on the upper
part of my mouth because I have knocked
them all out during different seizures
and overdoses I had no money I was in a
Jeep that I couldn’t prove was mine and
I had no identification much less I
didn’t know if somebody was about to
pull into that parking lot and kill me
impossible is being here in front of you
talking today
and if I would have thought at that
moment how am I going to repair my life
how am I going to get clean how am I
gonna get my family back how am I gonna
get out of bankruptcy I could not have
done it I would have taken a drug and
jammed it back in my arm and gone down
the same path together but in that
moment I had to have clarity and I asked
myself a question no I didn’t realize
this is the question I asked but
inevitably the question we asked what’s
most important to me about this
situation
what is it about impossible that I
really want to solve and what I really
wanted to solve is I just wanted to be
safe I just needed to be I just didn’t
want to die that day it was probably the
first time in years I realized I didn’t
want to die at least not that way and so
I made the decision I’m not gonna die
today that was it
that’s the only decision I had to make
and the next question I asked was okay
how do I stay safe I didn’t realize this
was the question I asked until I
analyzed it afterwards but it’s key to
understand how we achieve impossible
because it’s really three simple things
what’s most important to me about this
and the second question is what’s the
answer and the answer was simply I
needed to get to my brother’s place back
in southern Alberta it was a long way
away it was safe he might take me in he
might not I don’t know I certainly done
lots to deserve not to be taken back in
but at least he wouldn’t kill me which
was a well maybe his wife would he’ll be
pretty sure but I hope that she wasn’t
home when I got there so that’s all I
had to do and the next question what can
I do right now what can I do in this
moment this instant to get closer to
that knot what are all the 500 things I
need to do what are not all the things
that have to
up and just what can I do right now and
the only answer I could come up with was
I needed to ask for help so I literally
went around the parking lot asking for
help believe me you wouldn’t have given
it to me and nobody did either but in
the process of elimination I realized
because I’ve been on the street and I’d
learned how to beg a bet I need to ask
for something specific
it’s really quite intriguing how clever
homeless people can be so I asked for
something specific and I knew better
than to ask for money I asked for a
phone I went around the parking lot
asking for a phone I said look I I have
somebody to call I just need to ask
somebody for help because my thinking
was well nobody here will help me maybe
somebody I know will help me or maybe
not but I need to do something to stay
safe it was just the next thing so
somebody gave me a phone made a bunch of
phone calls couldn’t get ahold of
anybody got hang-up person had to leave
I asked a bunch more people three or
four people later three or four phones
later I finally got through to somebody
that would take my call that person was
the former CFO of the company that I had
built with him years ago
his name’s Blair better knew my shtick
very well I had called him several times
telling him enormous ly ridiculous lies
of how he needed to send me money and I
needed to pay rent and I needed and and
often he would do it but he like
everybody else in my life was now on to
me and that stick was up he wasn’t going
for it
Blair’s a smart guy he said cam I’ll do
something for you since were UI so I
have no idea
I said what’s around you and I told him
there’s a safe way is there a Western
Union in that safe way so at this point
had to give the phone back had to ask a
bunch other people to get a phone got
another phone when in look yes there’s a
Western say there’s a Western Union I
asked the lady he’s an athlete at
Western Union what the store number is
but blah did that
he’s got me back in the phone he says
I’m gonna send you 12 dollars and 85
cents $12.95 he’s a very smart guy he
said first of all you need to know the
exact number because there’s no way that
somebody’s gonna give you any money
you have no idea look like shit you
smell like shit you’re ugly you’re
stupid you’re an idiot
like who’s gonna give you like so you
need to know the exact amount of money
and I don’t want to give you enough
money to really get yourself in danger
because even at that moment when he said
he was gonna send money as an addict
I was thinking if it’s 50 bucks you know
it’s just how it mind works say
something send your $12.95 what you do
with it is up to you but when that
$12.95 runs out if you’re still alive
I’ll help you again
long story short no aidid nothing we
convinced the Li that the wire came in
and she gave it to me believe it or not
against every policy and rule there is
out there it took hours security guards
were ushering me in and out it was it
was drama I got the money I filled up
with a little bit of gas I got some
insure I don’t know if it break it lived
on that stuff and I just started driving
until I was low on gas again and I
really started looking for a safe way I
got to a Safeway and I did the same
thing it took me ten days to get back to
southern Alberta there my brother’s
place it took me ten days because lots
of times I did run out of gas and lots
of times I woke up maybe a day later and
lots of times I was in the back of that
Jeep puking my guts out and wondering
what was next and all I really cared
about was I just need to be safe and I
just need to do the next thing
impossible isn’t about doing everything
and figuring out how I would have the
complete and total honor to be in front
of you here today it was only about
doing something and that something is
just the next thing the Nelson Mandela’s
of the world the mother teresa’s of the
world they look back on their life and
I’m sure they didn’t go this is what I
planned I plan to do all these
impossible things they just did the next
thing they had something they cared
about they had something that they
wanted to achieve and sure them sure
they had lots of ideas and ways to get
there but what they did was just the
next thing when I listened to Rachel on
the stage earlier today and I thought
about how she talked that she was just
asked those three words can you help us
I’m sure she wasn’t thinking that oh my
gosh we’re gonna save a rainforest she
just did the next thing she went home
and she wrote a letter I’m sure in that
moment she wasn’t thinking about Oh a
man I’ll not follow through in my
partnership Locke
and everything else we can’t think about
but that’s when things become impossible
that’s what impossible becomes real
impossible doesn’t stand a chance
against just doing the next thing we’re
gonna hear from Sophie at the end of the
talks today and she’s gonna talk about
how something as big as the refugee
crisis and she doesn’t try to solve the
whole refugee crisis she just did the
next thing and the impact that she’s had
because she just did the next thing so
how the story actually unfolded was that
it took me ten days to get back to my
brother’s place and when I got back to
my brother’s place something amazing
happened he said Karen come on him and
my arms were around him and his wife and
they were literally carrying me into the
house and I said oh why are you gonna
help me this time he said did you have
ten days cleaned
I hadn’t had ten days cleaning for years
I didn’t think ten days ago about seeing
cleaning for ten days I only thought
about getting to my brother’s place and
just doing the next thing that’s how we
accomplished impossible
you
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