factor before I get started I’m gonna
tell you a little story about this quote
I came up with a few years ago how you
perceive yourself is far different than
how you proceed this story is your story
but let me give you an example so I was
on usc’s campus a few years ago and one
of my students said hey I want you to
meet with another professor this to be a
guest lecturer in his class and I said
sure
set it up a couple of days later I get a
call and he says hey professor so-and-so
is gonna meet you at the Starbucks on
campus I said great I said what does he
look like oh don’t worry about that he
said I told him what you look like and I
said what do you mean you told him what
I look like he goes yeah I told him you
look like Moby
I said Moby you’re told I look at Moby I
don’t look like Moby and I began to rant
and rave for about a minute to two
minutes and finally the phone went
really quiet and I hear this voice eke
out well who should have I told you who
should have I told you that he looked
like or you look like and I said what do
you mean I look like Bruce Willis and
what I want to tell you and show you is
that the truth is somewhere in between
and that’s just like life and so life is
always something between perception and
reality so today I’m gonna teach you a
little bit about reality and we’re gonna
discover our impact now what is your
impact Picasso said it best the meaning
of life is to find your gift the purpose
of life is to give it away so how do I
give it away well I’m gonna give you
five quick tips on how to discover your
impact and it’s broken down into one
world I call brick but it’s really an
acronym for brand responsibility
influence character and knowledge now
let’s start with granted you guys
realize you are a brand right here’s how
I know you’re a brand let’s take a look
at your Instagram account your Pinterest
account your Facebook your snapchat in
over a
years of social media you guys have
branded yourself with your own content
and your own ideas and you guys are
shaping your brands it’s very powerful
stuff know how powerful it is this put
it this you’re just as powerful as Nike
Red Bull or Apple you don’t believe me
what if I took your name Tom Sullivan
calm and I typed in Nike calm he would
both resonate on the same platform right
next to each other and here’s the best
part
it only cost you $11 I’m go daddy so
here’s what I want you to do today I
want you to go to Go Daddy
I want you to buy your first and last
name comma here’s why because one of you
is going to be a u.s. senator one of you
is going to be in the cast member on the
walking dead and you know they need them
and another one’s going to be a
fashionista or a designer and you know
you need your name on the back of the
tag and the shirts so go get your
dot-com name today on godet the next
thing is a responsibility now
responsibility is I’m sorry before I get
going I want it I want it I want to come
up with some credibility real quick so
you’re probably asking yourself hey
what’s this guy’s brand what’s this
guy’s it factor well my hip factors my
name Greg champion and the reason why I
say that is because ever since I’ve been
born of the name anytime I call somebody
put it down on paper people like what a
great name
that that name must be a tough name to
live up to huh how did you get a name
like that hey would you adopt me and so
I went there life with this name of Greg
champion but it all started back back in
the third grade so let’s hop in my
DeLorean and go back to the third grade
and there I was in the first day of
class in the third grade and the
teachers going through the roll the
roster of students and next thing you
know I hear Greg Stevenson Greg Thompson
Greg Zimmerman there was five drags in
this class and they all spelled her name
with one G I went home that night to my
mother and I go mom we’re changing my
name to Tom Steve Jeff because I wanted
to be different I couldn’t be included
with all other grits and none she’s
she kind of did the motherly thing like
yeah okay we’ll wait in the morning you
know but basically the next that night
she went upstairs and Monday Night
Football came on and on my night
football one of the athletes names was
gr e GG and I yelled mo get down here
get down here she comes running down is
that the houses on fire
and I said that’s what we’re doing she
goes what do you mean what are we doing
I said that’s what we’re doing I said
we’re gonna add an extra G to my name
and she said go ahead and so from that
point in the third grade I had an extra
G I told this story to my first boss out
of college and he simply said you wanted
to add an extra G to your last into your
first name your last name is champion
you’re going to stand out and it’s
honest to god truth I was able to build
a brand of being able to work with very
high-end companies and high-end brands
by leveraging my name Greg champion to
garner business but in the end I didn’t
find it satisfying and I’ll get to it
and why I feel satisfied with my new
version of the champion name so the next
part is influence and why I’m sorry next
part is responsibility and here’s what I
want to talk about responsibility so part of your