[Music]
yes right stay with me
yes yes is where the fun is yes is where
the adventure is yes is where the story
is if you say no the story ends okay I
didn’t always look like this that was me
back in 1895 maybe 1995 I was fresh out
of business school working at the
Vanderbilt plans in Nashville and for
most of my adult life I was that guy the
suit-wearing guy then I went to this
thing called Burning Man yeah so in 2010
I had been with my dad watched him die
from cancer and I said you know there’s
I’m ready to say yes to life life is
happening right now right here don’t
miss it you know what if we all gave
ourselves the opportunity the permission
the self space to say yes right just say
yes I went to Burning Man for well you
know people go to Burning Man for lots
of reasons they go for the music they go
for the art just I went to disconnect I
needed to unplug I was a really crazy
time of my life busy hectic and I wanted
to just unplug do you nothing what I
found by going out there is I met people
who are living in heart space just full
open just boom being able to let go of
expectations prejudices biases old tapes
running in their head and what I found
by disconnecting is I meet some of the
best connections ever what if we gave
ourselves that permission to really see
each other to really listen to feel the
stories well that’s really what’s at the
heart of what’s become the pink socks
movement
this is my friend dick he gave me this
belt buckle pink socks look what happens
at Burning Man there’s a lot of burners
in the room oh not gonna have to tell
you all about Burning Man but the city
operates on ten principles the most
important one that I came away with is
gifting right you know the other ones
radical self-expression write our
conclusion Leave No Trace
decommodification which means there’s no
branding no logos no corporate
sponsorships when I came away of was
gifting was the one that was most
important and gifting at Burning Man as
I loved you know it doesn’t require any
reciprocity there’s no quid pro quo
someone just gives you a gift it could
be a bracelet it could be a cold PBR
could be a back rub it could be some
bacon your gift is simply accepting
their gift sitting in that moment and
saying yes to accepting their gift and
that’s really at the heart of the pink
socks movement it’s all about a gift all
right how it started was a little were
two years ago I was I live in Portland
well over two years ago I was down here
trying to raise money for a start-up I
was involved in and staying at this
hotel over off the Tenderloin because it
didn’t have a lot of money so that we’re
gonna startup budget so Stan Lane and
mean and I wasn’t wearing pink socks at
that moment I was wearing these really
cool funky robot heart monkey socks and
my friend and I were sitting out by the
pool one morning having coffee and we
met this older couple from Israel and
this guy’s named a slo-mo and he had
this the most awesome infectious smile
ever and he was really grooving on my
socks and I said mmm you know I’ve got
some of those back in the room some
brand new ones I think I’ll just go up
to my room and grab them came back so um
when his wife or sitting there I said
she might like to give you these and in
that moment that instant when I saw his
smile it reminded me of what gifting was
like at Burning Man and I said well what
if
I could do this at scale what if I could
keep gifting if a simple pair of socks
could cause such a great moment between
two people just something so simple
could I create that and scale it up so I
went to this conference in Chicago a
bunch of healthcare executives you know
42,000 people in suits and I decided I
would pick the the socks that I thought
were the coolest and the funnest no once
I got the most comments on my every time
I wore them and there were these pink
socks with the mustaches and so we went
and started giving away socks and you
know people would come up and they’d say
hey what’s your story and I say hey I’m
Nick what’s your name and we’d talk and
then I would say you know I’ve got
something in my bag for you I had
reached I’ve given a pair of these pink
socks didn’t give up business cards just
just gave out socks and we started using
this hashtag pink socks at that
conference and it kind of took over the
conference it went viral and people were
like okay what is the pink socks what is
this thing you know we kept going to
conferences and doing this for like a
year just give them away socks and after
about a year it was like okay that’s fun
but remember like Elvis you know I was
there’s young Elvis and there’s fat old
of us I was ready for the Sox to die as
young Elvis I just be done with it but
then I got this message somebody in me
on Twitter and said hey did did you send
some socks over to Europe I like what
and like yeah there’s go look at this
there’s a group in the Netherlands that
is giving away socks pink socks to help
drive awareness for what they’re doing
with Alzheimer and dementia care I was
like what
and then about the time I said what
there was a group in Wales that popped
up on Twitter that was giving away pink
socks to help drive awareness for ataxia
which is a rare disease it’s at that
moment we said okay the things going
organic you know where people are
gifting pink socks on their own at will
and now over a little over two years
later that’s really grown
I mean people give socks away for all
kinds of things they give them away at
med schools they given away at hospitals
they give them away just for fun there’s
a man that you may gave socks to Deepak
Chopra there’s the Minister of Health
from the Netherlands I mean it it’s
there’s a group in North Carolina that’s
using it to help promote the work
they’re doing with feed feeding hungry
children in Chapel Hill North Carolina
there’s a group in India that’s using it
to help drive awareness for the work
they’re doing for breast cancer
screening for women in India my favorite
is this astronaut he’s has pink socks
Captain John McBride
he was the captain pilot of the space
shuttle Atlantis on two missions he
actually deployed the Hubble telescope
on that mission big socks yeah and so
this conversation has started and it’s
still going on it’s all over the world
and so I wake up every morning and look
at the hash tag and you can see where
people are giving socks away just for
fun right it doesn’t really have to be
that difficult
if you just think about all the good
that’s in the world and focus on that
yeah in health care where there’s a lot
of talk about empathy what is empathy
really it’s stopping your mind it’s
really seeing someone it’s allowing
yourself to be seen it’s listening to
their story
it’s feeling their story
we’re gonna do something everybody stand
up let’s try a little
yeah yeah okay so here’s what I want you
to do we’re gonna just follow my
directions and don’t say anything right
now
but what I want you to do is I want you
to face the person next to you hopefully
it’s somebody you didn’t come with if if
you did come with them that’s fine but
try to try to look at a stranger maybe
that person’s behind you in front of you
okay so so so let’s listen listen let’s
be silent now what I want you to do is
just look at each other yeah so I want
you to be silent I want you to look at
each other in the eye and you just get a
little closer you know this though where
we’re gonna be any HR violations here
just I want you I want you to look at
each other with intent with intent and
when I tell you to say these words I
want you to say the words I’m about to
tell you look at the other person in the
eyes and say these words okay Shh
ready I see you
yeah congratulations Yeah right
hugs yeah all right yeah yeah okay
you’ve just you’ve just listened you’ve
just heard and felt what some people
will go through this whole time this
whole dimension their whole life never
having someone say that to them never
feeling that never being seen yeah
can we keep doing that so for the pink
socks tribe it’s the pink socks you know
we’ve we’ve chosen this to be the thing
that we engage people with maybe for you
it’s a fun hat it’s a flower it’s a fun
button it’s something what causes people
to engage what connects you there are
people here that have pink socks there’s
people here that want to give you socks
if you want some so during the break go
find the people to have the pink socks
have that connection they want to give
them to you when you wear your pink
socks or whatever your pink socks thing
is right every time you wear them you’re
gonna make people smile
and someone’s going to comment on your
socks and they’re gonna say hey I like
those socks that’s the universe tapping
you on the shoulder providing an
opportunity for you to connect with
someone that day that had you not been
wearing the pink socks the two of you
would have missed each other stop what
you’re doing get off your phone
stay on the bark for another stop get
off your bike stay on the train and say
hey I’m Nick what’s your name it’s good
to meet you it’s good to see you there
are stories waiting to be told stories
waiting to be heard hear them don’t miss
all of those
[Applause]
yes right stay with me
yes yes is where the fun is yes is where
the adventure is yes is where the story
is if you say no the story ends okay I
didn’t always look like this that was me
back in 1895 maybe 1995 I was fresh out
of business school working at the
Vanderbilt plans in Nashville and for
most of my adult life I was that guy the
suit-wearing guy then I went to this
thing called Burning Man yeah so in 2010
I had been with my dad watched him die
from cancer and I said you know there’s
I’m ready to say yes to life life is
happening right now right here don’t
miss it you know what if we all gave
ourselves the opportunity the permission
the self space to say yes right just say
yes I went to Burning Man for well you
know people go to Burning Man for lots
of reasons they go for the music they go
for the art just I went to disconnect I
needed to unplug I was a really crazy
time of my life busy hectic and I wanted
to just unplug do you nothing what I
found by going out there is I met people
who are living in heart space just full
open just boom being able to let go of
expectations prejudices biases old tapes
running in their head and what I found
by disconnecting is I meet some of the
best connections ever what if we gave
ourselves that permission to really see
each other to really listen to feel the
stories well that’s really what’s at the
heart of what’s become the pink socks
movement
this is my friend dick he gave me this
belt buckle pink socks look what happens
at Burning Man there’s a lot of burners
in the room oh not gonna have to tell
you all about Burning Man but the city
operates on ten principles the most
important one that I came away with is
gifting right you know the other ones
radical self-expression write our
conclusion Leave No Trace
decommodification which means there’s no
branding no logos no corporate
sponsorships when I came away of was
gifting was the one that was most
important and gifting at Burning Man as
I loved you know it doesn’t require any
reciprocity there’s no quid pro quo
someone just gives you a gift it could
be a bracelet it could be a cold PBR
could be a back rub it could be some
bacon your gift is simply accepting
their gift sitting in that moment and
saying yes to accepting their gift and
that’s really at the heart of the pink
socks movement it’s all about a gift all
right how it started was a little were
two years ago I was I live in Portland
well over two years ago I was down here
trying to raise money for a start-up I
was involved in and staying at this
hotel over off the Tenderloin because it
didn’t have a lot of money so that we’re
gonna startup budget so Stan Lane and
mean and I wasn’t wearing pink socks at
that moment I was wearing these really
cool funky robot heart monkey socks and
my friend and I were sitting out by the
pool one morning having coffee and we
met this older couple from Israel and
this guy’s named a slo-mo and he had
this the most awesome infectious smile
ever and he was really grooving on my
socks and I said mmm you know I’ve got
some of those back in the room some
brand new ones I think I’ll just go up
to my room and grab them came back so um
when his wife or sitting there I said
she might like to give you these and in
that moment that instant when I saw his
smile it reminded me of what gifting was
like at Burning Man and I said well what
if
I could do this at scale what if I could
keep gifting if a simple pair of socks
could cause such a great moment between
two people just something so simple
could I create that and scale it up so I
went to this conference in Chicago a
bunch of healthcare executives you know
42,000 people in suits and I decided I
would pick the the socks that I thought
were the coolest and the funnest no once
I got the most comments on my every time
I wore them and there were these pink
socks with the mustaches and so we went
and started giving away socks and you
know people would come up and they’d say
hey what’s your story and I say hey I’m
Nick what’s your name and we’d talk and
then I would say you know I’ve got
something in my bag for you I had
reached I’ve given a pair of these pink
socks didn’t give up business cards just
just gave out socks and we started using
this hashtag pink socks at that
conference and it kind of took over the
conference it went viral and people were
like okay what is the pink socks what is
this thing you know we kept going to
conferences and doing this for like a
year just give them away socks and after
about a year it was like okay that’s fun
but remember like Elvis you know I was
there’s young Elvis and there’s fat old
of us I was ready for the Sox to die as
young Elvis I just be done with it but
then I got this message somebody in me
on Twitter and said hey did did you send
some socks over to Europe I like what
and like yeah there’s go look at this
there’s a group in the Netherlands that
is giving away socks pink socks to help
drive awareness for what they’re doing
with Alzheimer and dementia care I was
like what
and then about the time I said what
there was a group in Wales that popped
up on Twitter that was giving away pink
socks to help drive awareness for ataxia
which is a rare disease it’s at that
moment we said okay the things going
organic you know where people are
gifting pink socks on their own at will
and now over a little over two years
later that’s really grown
I mean people give socks away for all
kinds of things they give them away at
med schools they given away at hospitals
they give them away just for fun there’s
a man that you may gave socks to Deepak
Chopra there’s the Minister of Health
from the Netherlands I mean it it’s
there’s a group in North Carolina that’s
using it to help promote the work
they’re doing with feed feeding hungry
children in Chapel Hill North Carolina
there’s a group in India that’s using it
to help drive awareness for the work
they’re doing for breast cancer
screening for women in India my favorite
is this astronaut he’s has pink socks
Captain John McBride
he was the captain pilot of the space
shuttle Atlantis on two missions he
actually deployed the Hubble telescope
on that mission big socks yeah and so
this conversation has started and it’s
still going on it’s all over the world
and so I wake up every morning and look
at the hash tag and you can see where
people are giving socks away just for
fun right it doesn’t really have to be
that difficult
if you just think about all the good
that’s in the world and focus on that
yeah in health care where there’s a lot
of talk about empathy what is empathy
really it’s stopping your mind it’s
really seeing someone it’s allowing
yourself to be seen it’s listening to
their story
it’s feeling their story
we’re gonna do something everybody stand
up let’s try a little
yeah yeah okay so here’s what I want you
to do we’re gonna just follow my
directions and don’t say anything right
now
but what I want you to do is I want you
to face the person next to you hopefully
it’s somebody you didn’t come with if if
you did come with them that’s fine but
try to try to look at a stranger maybe
that person’s behind you in front of you
okay so so so let’s listen listen let’s
be silent now what I want you to do is
just look at each other yeah so I want
you to be silent I want you to look at
each other in the eye and you just get a
little closer you know this though where
we’re gonna be any HR violations here
just I want you I want you to look at
each other with intent with intent and
when I tell you to say these words I
want you to say the words I’m about to
tell you look at the other person in the
eyes and say these words okay Shh
ready I see you
yeah congratulations Yeah right
hugs yeah all right yeah yeah okay
you’ve just you’ve just listened you’ve
just heard and felt what some people
will go through this whole time this
whole dimension their whole life never
having someone say that to them never
feeling that never being seen yeah
can we keep doing that so for the pink
socks tribe it’s the pink socks you know
we’ve we’ve chosen this to be the thing
that we engage people with maybe for you
it’s a fun hat it’s a flower it’s a fun
button it’s something what causes people
to engage what connects you there are
people here that have pink socks there’s
people here that want to give you socks
if you want some so during the break go
find the people to have the pink socks
have that connection they want to give
them to you when you wear your pink
socks or whatever your pink socks thing
is right every time you wear them you’re
gonna make people smile
and someone’s going to comment on your
socks and they’re gonna say hey I like
those socks that’s the universe tapping
you on the shoulder providing an
opportunity for you to connect with
someone that day that had you not been
wearing the pink socks the two of you
would have missed each other stop what
you’re doing get off your phone
stay on the bark for another stop get
off your bike stay on the train and say
hey I’m Nick what’s your name it’s good
to meet you it’s good to see you there
are stories waiting to be told stories
waiting to be heard hear them don’t miss
all of those
[Applause]
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