Losing the Voice of Innocence

But there's a happy ending in my new book

Rick Lewis archives

I’m writing a new book this year.

It’s called . . .

The Life Story Method — Reach Your People

It will teach you how to confidently share your notable life experiences so you can write, speak, lead, teach and coach with natural authority.

Here’s the opening story of chapter one of the book.

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Chapter 1

Losing My Voice

I was in third grade, waiting for my mom to pick me up from school. She was late. With the playground empty and the classrooms darkened, I didn’t feel scared, I felt free in the absence of company.

So, I started to sing.

Standing at the bottom of a concrete stairwell, the echo chamber effect tripled my volume and cradled me in sound. I went full Enrico Caruso, Pavarotti in penny-loafers and corduroy, relishing the reverb of my own voice as I belted out the Star Spangled Banner like I was standing at the 50-yard-line of the Super Bowl. I gestured like a rockstar and grinned like a fool, filling the chamber with “the rocket’s red glare” and bringing “the flag was still there” down to a theatrically whispered note. I celebrated my personal decibels at the base of the steps and the fact that I’d found my life’s calling at age seven. I had arrived.

But my triumph was short-lived.

The next thing I knew my metal Superman lunch box had launched itself past my knees and clattered down the basement flight of steps. The thermos and lid went their separate ways and my half-eaten sandwich left globs of grape jelly and peanut butter on the landing.

I turned around to peals of laughter and fingers pointed straight at my rapidly reddening face, while a couple of sneaky school mates convulsed with laughter and made merciless fun of me after I’d hit and sustained my last glorious note.

The marvelous delusion that I had operatic potential as a seven-year-old had been swapped for hot, burning shame.

I didn’t sing again for a very long time . . .

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If you’d like to read the rest of the first, short chapter, you can sign up for my new Substack publication where I’m going to serialize the release of the book in public.

Millions of brilliant and talented professionals never take the opportunity to share their knowledge or expertise, incorrectly assuming that they have no stories to tell, or that no one would care.

All of that changes when we become fluent in the one universal language on earth: storytelling.

Writing and communicating well is not the territory of literary elites and professional speakers.

Storytelling belongs to anyone who values human connection and a deeper understanding of themselves.

If that interests you, sign up for my new publication and get all the details, hard won insights, inspiring examples, systems and useful tools that you’ll need to become storyfluent and reach the people you’re dedicated to serving.

But if you just want to keep reading the stories I write about my life experiences and you have no interest in reviewing, recording, or sharing your own—you’re in the right place—because I plan to keep ‘em coming here.

Thank you for being a subscriber.

Warm Regards

Ricky