Free 7-day story challenge, 14–20 Dec

Seven videos.

One a day from 14 to 20 December. Each one takes a real story apart to teach one thing from the book, and ends with something small to do that day.

Mon 14

“Oh no, I’m shy.”The Melissa video

Video 1

Why she said no in front of 140 million people

She says no to her own dream in front of the world, then comes back a week later and sings. Five ways to switch your brain from no to yes.

Tue 15

He wrote himself a cheque for $10 million.Jim Carrey

Video 2

Jim Carrey wrote his own story. My teacher wrote mine.

Carrey’s cheque, and the teacher who called me stupid. You write your own story, or you live the one you were handed.

Wed 16

Same facts. One of them makes you want in.HelpBnk, told two ways

Video 3

Same business, two pitches. Which one would you back?

The identical business pitched twice. Nothing changes except the order it is told in.

Thu 17

“What’s your dream?”The question that changed everything

Video 4

One question changed my whole channel

Swapping “do you want to start a business?” for four words. Your first line decides whether there is a second.

Fri 18

The part he could have left out is the part that lands.Matthew McConaughey

Video 5

How Matthew McConaughey tells a story

The monk story, on Diary of a CEO. Everyone edits out the bit that actually connects.

Sat 19

“We’re thinking about maybe…”The doorbell pitch

Video 6

The words that made an investor stop listening

A real pitch taken apart by the investor hearing it. Kill the maybe, or they stop believing you.

Sun 20

Sixty seconds. Then it’s your turn.Simon’s own story

Video 7

My story in 60 seconds, and how I built it

I tell mine using all six lessons, then take it apart line by line. The competition opens.

The most valuable thing you can invest in is your story.

There are three of them, and they decide most of what happens to you. We take one at a time.

1

The one you tell yourself

Running in your head on a loop, and most of it isn’t even yours. You picked it up from a school that marked you down, or a parent who told you to be sensible. We start by ripping that one up.

2

The one you tell other people

What actually comes out of your mouth when somebody asks what you do. It decides whether a person leans in and backs you, or nods politely and forgets you by the car park.

3

The one the world tells about you

This one gets told whether you turn up or not. Either you tell it, or you have it told for you, and the second version is written by people who were not there.

The prize

£10,000

for the best story I see, plus lunch with me.

I’m not handing it to whoever shouts loudest, and I am not counting followers. I want to back somebody who can tell me, properly, what they’re trying to build and why it matters to them.

Record it

Use the story scorer. It scores your take out of ten, gives you three fixes and puts the book frame on. Record it as many times as you like.

Post it

Put your best take on Instagram or TikTok with #WhatsYourStory, and tag me so I see it.

Send me the link

Paste the link to your post and you’re in. That’s the whole entry.

Opens 20 December·Closes 7 January

You have to be 18 or over, and you don’t need to buy anything to enter. Full terms.

Out 31 December

The whole method is in the book.

Seven videos is the short version. What’s Your Story? is where it all comes from, and it’s out on 31 December, in the middle of the competition.

Pre-order the book

You can lose to a worse idea, told better.

Save my spot

Free, and it stays free. Starts Monday 14 December.

Three stories decide your life. Nobody teaches you any of them.

Join the free challenge