“Question deeply, imaginatively, beautifully” – Warren Berger

“I know this may sound crazy, but is your name GG?”

I looked up from dinner. What?!

I’m in the middle of South America and some random guy at the next table knows my name?

We started talking.

Apparently, he’s been following on Instagram for years. The travels, the tuxedo, the adventures. He had a hunch I was the same guy, now sitting next to him.

Indeed. What a small world.

And he started asking questions. He was genuinely curious. He was 26 and traveling with his buddy for the 1st time.

I was there with my buddy Trey : whose 1st trip with me was to West Africa, was attacked by chimpanzees, and was the Atlanta Falcon’s mascot back in the day.

Same. Same.

Funny enough, I had just finished reading the runway #1 New York Times best selling book “Theo of Golden ”.

Theo discovers a coffee shop with pencil portraits of local people. He starts buying them, finding the people in the portraits, and giving them away.

He asks for only one thing in return.

Their story .

And then he listens.

I spent this past week with my friend Trey. He’s one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met.

He is endlessly fascinated with people.

The waiter.

The bartender.

The kid selling bubblegum to make a few bucks.

He buys the whole basket.

Give Trey ten minutes with someone and somehow we’re hearing about…

the business they almost started,

the person they fell in love with,

the mistake that changed their life, or

the dream they still haven’t given up on.

And I think that’s part of the secret .

The best storytellers aren’t always the people with the most interesting lives.

They are the people most interested in everyone else’s.

Maybe the greatest gift you can give somebody isn’t advice. Maybe it’s making them feel like their story is worth telling me.

If I’ve learned one thing from travel:

There are no ordinary people

Only people whose stories you haven’t heard yet.

Dash of Courage

This next week, find one of them.

A coworker. Your Uber driver. Your waiter.

Maybe someone you’ve known for 20 years.

Ask them a question you never asked before.

Then just listen.

Just like Trey, Theo, or the curious Traveler.

You might just find some gold hiding in plain sight .

Courage over comfort,

Garrett

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