Michael Luchies' TEDx Talk, "The Importance of Being and Unselfish Storyteller," given November 2015 at TEDxNormal in Normal, Illinois. Michael shares his experiences and lessons he's learned about the positive benefits of stories to help the lives of others. Listen to his motivational and inspirational talk to understand how being vulnerable and sharing your tough experiences can provide comfort and courage to your network and beyond. "I recently had the opportunity to give my first TEDx talk at TEDxNormal in Normal, Illinois. For once, I gave what I believed to be an unselfish speech. I didn’t talk about my business or try to elevate my personal brand as some subject matter expert or brilliant writer. But I wanted to. That’s right, I wanted to promote myself. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t going to plaster my name and Twitter handle on the screen or wear a t-shirt with my name on it, but it’s only natural to try to personally gain from the efforts we put time, money, and hard work into, and my TEDx talk was certainly that. As someone who’s mainly self-employed, monetizing life is a necessity. The problem is that I often miss opportunities that lie far outside of what will help me and my family financially. We all do. My TEDx talk is titled “The Importance of Being an Unselfish Storyteller.” It details my embarrassment, regret and shame stemming from a missed opportunity to selflessly help a girl who was in need of someone to share their story with her, and what I've done since to never let that happen again. Using public speaker and inspiration Lizzie Velasquez as a model of what can be accomplished when stories are shared unselfishly, I talked about how she turned a painful bullying experience into a story that helped millions of others. One thing said in her TEDx talk stood out to me beyond everything else. “I don’t think people realize the power one person can have to change a situation or impact someone’s life," Lizzie said. We all have this power, but few of us realize we have it, and even fewer realize that it comes from our stories. When you think of helping others and making a difference, what do you think of? Volunteering, picking up trash, giving someone a hand. We think of the physical and far too often forget about helping people emotionally, which is just as important if not more important in some situations. Sharing your tough stories, things that you would normally keep inside, helps people connect with you and realize that they aren't alone. The information gained can change their perspective on a whole situation or possibly their entire life. So when do you share unselfishly? Whenever you believe it may have even the slightest ability to help someone else."