The Night I Backed Myself and Everything Started Changing

This one is just me.

I talk about pitching on stage at a HelpBnk networking event in Liverpool, putting my name in the bucket, pushing through nerves, and somehow walking away with Best Pitch and £500 of support for The Danifesto. But this episode is not really about the money. It is about what happens when you start saying yes to scary opportunities and backing yourself even when your brain tells you not to.

I also share what I am working on with Changing Chances, the Doorbell of Dreams experience, the nerves no one sees, and the mindset shift that has made me realise opportunities do not just happen. You create them by showing up.

Link to Changing Chances: https://changingchanceslearningplatform.thinkific.com/

This is a chilled, real, sit with me type of episode. If you have ever doubted yourself, overthought things, or nearly talked yourself out of something big, this one is for you.

Transcript

Dan 0:00

Hello everyone. So welcome back to The Danifesto. It's just me today. I just want this to be like a proper chill episode. There's no guest, sorry. It's just me chatting. And I wanted to do this because the last two months for me have just been like one of those periods where a lot's happened. And I don't just want to fly past it like it's normal. Because it was not normal. It for me it's been very, very big. So today I'm just going to talk through it and what's been going on. So what I've learned and what surprised me is that stressed me out. One I'm proud of. So and this is gonna be one of the episodes where it feels like you just sat with me. Yeah, like you're just listening while I talk. Um so yeah, we're talking about the help bank net network. There is a window cleaner at my front door was cleaning my windows, so my my camera's going off like mad. So if I pause, just don't mind me. So I'm gonna talk about the help bank networking event, I think that's where I was up to. Um so that was in Liverpool but at Box Park. Um I pitched on stage. You might have seen that on my Instagram if you follow that. If you don't follow it. Um I won the best pitch and I won £500 from Help Bank, so that was really cool. Um The Doorbellow Dreams were there, so um I got to pitch my idea on the Doorbell Dreams. So don't know who who's gonna see that. I met a bunch of cool people, like like a bunch of cool people. And I'm gonna talk about what I've been doing with changing chances with um Kit Kit Messenger. Um I'm gonna be interviewing people from my school and for an online thing to to help parents. So that's gonna be interesting and very cool. I'm really looking forward to that. Editing it all together and that. And um I'm gonna mention something else as well. I've been invited onto a podcast. It's a big podcast. Um so yeah, and it's still a little secret, so I'm not saying what it is, you'll have to wait for that. Alright, let's go, I guess. Don't know where to start, like, but um so yeah, let's start with like if I had to describe the last two months in one sentence, it would be I've been busy, I'd be nervous, being excited, and proud, all at the same time. Because it's like things have never started to move. Not in like a fake way, in like a proper real way. Like things used to be ideas in my head, and it's started turning into like actual moments, and I think the weirdest part is I still feel like the same person. Um it's still just me, my same brain, my same random thoughts, same overthinking, and the same energy. But the difference is I've started putting myself in situations where things can happen, and that's what changes everything, because opportunities don't usually come while you start doing th doing nothing. They come up when when you show up, and I have been showing up more, so yeah, that's the vibe. And I want to start with the help bank event because that was the biggest turning point. So at help bank net w net net it was a help bank networking event. That was in the Liverpool box park. Um so before I got there, so the help bank networking team, or the the event, um was in Liverpool, the box park, and even before I got there I remember thinking, right, this is one of the nights where I can either just go in blind and I can just do you know, just sit in a corner and look at everything, or I can go in and I can actually do something and be a part of it. And I don't know if anyone else is like this, but my brain does things where it's like, you know you should do it, but it also tries to talk you out of it. Like it's starting to wait, sorry, that's just shown at my front door, window cleaner. Like it starts going, what if you look stupid? What what happens if you mess up? What happens if you you know you go blank? And what happens if you just don't know what to say? And what what happens if people don't rate ya, you know, if they don't like ya? I think that's well I think that's the saying. Um and all of that. And you can even listen to that voice or you can just go away. But I always think that voice inside of me, it's might be advising me. So I don't know whether it's the right thing or the wrong thing. And it's quite hard because in scenarios where you could do either, it's quite hard. So I went anyway, and I'm very glad I did. So my mum was in a conference in Manchester that um that weekend. Well it wasn't a weekend, so it was there Monday and Tuesday. So I got so I I I don't like I'm not a big fan of public transport because you don't know who's on with you. So what I did, I packed I packed my bag, got me a little microphones, got everything, and uh walked up to the top of my road, got on the bus, and I went down. So I went to Lime Street, uh had my headphones in and the bus wasn't really busy, so I was quite fortunate with that. So um yeah, I just w went down, went down to Ly Lime Street, and that's my nearest train station, and I was sitting there, I was about half an hour early. Um it was it was a bit late, so like um my mum's train was like 15, 10, 10, 15 minutes late. So erm, yeah, I just stayed. Um and I sat down and then I tracked her on my phone, yeah, it's a bit naughty, but you know, I tracked her on my phone, and when she got close by I nipped into Costa and got a latte and me a coke. But by the way, I still remember this. I brought a normal Coke and it was like £2.80, £2.80 for 500 millilitres of Coke. That is unbelievable. But anyway, so I did it. Um I brought my mum a latte, brought myself a Coke, and I just sat there listening to music because the train state this the train station is a bit of a stressful place to be honest with you. Um you just need to know where you're going and know what you're doing because it's you've got all birds flying everywhere, and pigeons and that. You've got everyone's in a rus. Everyone, everyone is in a rush. And then what else you've got as well is you've got like um you've got like over the radio, you've got like, you know, Liverpool, Lime Street to London Houston, and it is just a pain because it's just you don't know, you know, you don't know when or anything. So you don't know where everyone is, but you know, we we we get by. So um yeah, I just I stayed, waited for my mum, and then when my mum came out, I went we got an Uber, got an Uber straight to the box park. I mean your poor mum had all the bags, you know, for staying overnight. So that was cool. So yeah, um so yeah, going back to the um you know the voice in my head, not like a bad voice, but you know, and um it's it it is mad because how many opportunities you miss just because you're nervous, because you you must get miss opportunities because because you're nervous. And being nervous is normal, it's very normal to have butterflies in your tummy, very, very normal. But you need to remember it shouldn't control it, control ya. So yeah, I am I went and I when I walked in, I was thinking, alright, act normal, act like you've been here before, even though I haven't. And straight away, it wasn't that busy, to be honest with you. We came extra early. We came well no, we didn't come early, we came bang on time. But it was between it would be treated like a time gap. So we came bang on time, and there was some people chatting and um some people were introducing themselves and the word networking makes it sound so serious, but really it was just people talking, and that's literally it, it was just people talking, but when you call it networking, you feel like you need to be a special personality, um you don't, you just need to be you. So we started chatting to people and and I'm doing that thing where I'm trying to be calm, but inside I'm like, right, what's going on? And um then I found out that there's a pitch part. Um I already knew before there was a pitch part. So this guy's ringing my doorbell. What's he doing? There we go. So so yeah, what was the saying? So um and then when I found out there was I already knew there was a pitch part. But like when I found out there was a bucket, I put my name in the bucket and I was ready to go. Um and instantly my brain goes, Oh my god, but also do it because so I put my name in the bucket, um didn't really hesitate really because it was cool. But also on the Instagram it didn't mention a cash prize, it just said a prize, so I thought, Well, it could be like you know, Sammy Squibb's book, or you know, it could be it could be anything. So um that's where my mind was going a little wild there because I didn't know what it was gonna be. It could it could have been anything, so let me fix my mic. There we go. So yeah, it could it could have been anything. So um, so yeah, my my my brain instantly goes like oh my god, but also I I did it because the whole point of going is not just stand there in the corner looking round, the whole point is to take part. So I decided I'm pitching. So there was the pitching was last, so there was a whole big gap of what to do, and I met loads of new people, and I saw loads loads of people. Um Kieran Swanlandscapes, he's the guy who reached out and wants to come on my podcast, and we've got loads more coming on my podcast as well. You'll have to wait for that because it is looking very, very, very exciting. So yeah, you've got that. And also what happened as well is you had where you sat on the table and um it's like speed speed dating, but like speed networking, so that was really fun. We did that for about an half an hour, I think, it wasn't too long, I can't remember, but um, yeah, that was really fun. So and then finally it was time for my pitch. Well it wasn't my pitch, I didn't know yeah. So what happened was is one person got out the out the box and um they came up, they did their pitch, I clapped, really good. Second person, very cool. I mean I was nervous, my adrenaline was like and then she pulled out and said Daniel Evans, and I was like So um I walked up I walked up I walked up and yeah I just walked up and I'm going on stage and I can see everyone and it's mad because you can feel the room, you can feel people looking at ya, and I'm thinking, breathe, slow down, and then I just started talking and once you start you calm down a little bit because you're actually doing it. My hands and my legs were shaking, they were literally shaking a bit. I couldn't believe I was up up there in front of 200 about 300, 200, 300 people there, and I was talking, and I spoke about the Danifesto and where it's going and where the money would go and why it matters to me. And I finish and I come off, and I'm not gonna lie, I felt proud just doing it. I felt proud just going to the event because getting on stage is not normal for most people, and most people try to avoid that. So even if nothing happened after that, I would have still been proud. And then after a few, they put out Daniel Evans. I'm like, me again, I didn't put my name in twice, but then um I found out the friend who I met there, he didn't want to go up, so he put my name in instead. So what are the chances I think there was about 50 names in the bucket, so what are the chances my name gets picked out twice? So I was a bit worried people were gonna look at me and think like, oh my god, why did you put your name in twice? But then after that we got it down to the last to the three to the best three pitches, and it was up to the crowd. So what happened was as we said, um, applaud if you want this person to win, and it was like and applaud if you want the next person to win. And then when it came to me, applaud if you want me to win, oh my word, it was absolutely bonkers. Like some most some people got even got out of the seat going, lah, come on, and the clap was you it was like vis you know, like you could hear it like louder, it was like 50% louder, and that just meant it meant that I won, but it it I had that moment where it just takes a second to land, like you you hear it, but your brain doesn't process it instantly, and then you're like, wait, I I just won and I'm buzzing, but like I was also really shocked as well because like I actually did that, I I pitched and I won and people loved it, so yeah, that was really massive for me as well. Um so yeah, so now I want to talk about why it hit different because I hear people because people hear 500 pounds and they think it's about the money, and obviously the money is amazing, but I'm not acting like it's not. But for me, it was more about what what what presented it. It presented someone taking me seriously and it showed people listened and it showed a room full of people hearing what I'm building and going and yeah it that's good because when you're building something, most of the time you're just doing it in your own world. You're working, you're planning, you're thinking, you're recording, you're editing, or whatever you're doing, and you don't always get that moment where the outside world goes, Yeah, we see it. So that moment wasn't just about the money for me, it was about some people actually listened to me, and people wanted me me to win, and that proof gives me confidence and it gives other people confidence as well, because if I can win it, you can win also, and because you can tell yourself you believe in it, but when someone else backs it as well, it hits difference, it makes you go, okay, this can actually go somewhere, and I'm not gonna lie, the second thing I felt after the buzzing was pressure, good pressure, pressure like right now, I don't waste it. Now keep going, now I need to step up because I don't want a moment like that and then I just disappear because that's not me. So yeah, that gave me the boost, and the little boost is everything. Networking is awkward, and I'm not pretending it isn't. I don't want to say this because it'll make you laugh. Networking is awkward, it really is, because you're basically walking up to strangers like, alright mate, what do you do? And sometimes your brain goes blank and you forget how to even be human sometimes. It's like you forget how to start a conversation, so you end up saying something stupid, like, so yeah, uh nice nice weather that in the middle of a box park when when you're when you're indoors. So yeah, that's real. But honestly, once you get past the first ten minutes, it does get easier because people are just normal, and I think it's what the last two months have have taught me. Most people are normal, they just show up. So if you're listening and you're thinking about going to something like that, go even if it's awkward, because awkward moments are better than no moments. The doorbell of dreams Why it's stuck in my head now the Doorbell of Dreams, so that's for Sam and Squibbs doorbell. If you're not um if you're not aware of it, buy his book and um the book's called What's the book is called What's Your Dream and it is quite cool the book because I I haven't read it full full yet. I'm still still getting there, but the first few chapters is about him buying a random building just outside of London, I think it was, and the BBC was so confused, like, why you why why did you buy this building? You know what I mean? So useless. And I I don't think he's even got an address, you know. And he just stuck a doorbell there with Help Bank, and um yeah, people came up and pitched for idea and they get shown to millionaires, so that's cool. And um I see the way it is, it's life-changing to someone to just ring a doorbell. Um the I the idea is mad, it really is, but because it's simple, um, but it's it's powerful as well, because ringing a doorbell is basically saying, I am ready to to take a chance. I'm ready to ask, I'm ready to try. And lots of people never do that, and they never ask, they never knock, they never ring, they never go for it. So Vodbell of Dreams, being there at the event just added to the whole vibe for me, like it made me think bigger, um, and the event, I did a little pitch um to Vodorbell too. Um I don't know who's gonna see that, but it is cool that like I'm gonna get shown to some millionaires. I find that a bit bonkers. But if someone is shy and they don't like talking in front of a crowd, or they don't like talking To an actual person, but they have got a million dollar idea in their head, and they can just go and ring a doorbell, and people can go, Oh my word, that is that's so cool. Then millionaires can invest, and this shy person can turn into this millionaire who because they've expressed for idea to a doorbell. So so again, with my doorbell, I don't know who's gonna see that, I really don't, but that's what makes it exciting. What do you say ex nay reckon? Exciting, same thing, but anyway, well it's not, but but um because you put yourself out there, you never know what's gonna come back to you. So yeah, that's part of what made the night so big as well. I'm still waiting on my emails to see what's gonna come back, um so hopefully that'll be soon. So yeah, it wasn't just me winning at the help bank, it was the whole vibe of the people going for stuff, people backing themselves, people opening doors, l literally ringing doorbells. So what changed in me after that night? After that night something changed in me. It and it wasn't like I became a different person overnight, it was more like my confidence level went up a little notch and because I prove myself I can do things that scare me, and that's a big thing because once you prove that to yourself, you do stop overthinking as much, you still you still overthink a bit, I'm not gonna lie, but you overthink a bit less because you're like, nah, I've done it before. So if another opportunity comes, you're more likely to say yes, and I think that's why the last two months have been like this, because I've been saying yes more, and I've been putting myself out there in situations where something can happen, so yeah, that was my turning point, and also it's quite cool that loads and loads lots and lots of people are reaching out to me on Instagram saying like oh my word, I'd love to do a podcast with you, and I'm like, I would love to do a podcast with you, and and it's it is cool, but I would love to do a podcast with Simon Squib, so yeah, make sure, make sure that goes there. So I'm working with Changing Chances with um Kit Messenger, and what I'm doing is this thing in my school where I'm interviewing people, um, and it's for an online thing to help parents. Um it's more like a an online thing, and the whole point is hearing kids about the old school and the school they're in now. Um because adults, you know, they talk about kids over time, but kids don't always get asked. So if I'm going around interviewing people in my school and getting them to speak about their old school and the school they're in now, it it it it would be good. Because it's not just for content of views, it'll be on their website. I'll link I'll link their website below because you should check it out, it's really really good. It's something that could actually help parents understand the kids more and other kids and and that that matters, so it will underkid it will uh uh they can understand other kids' brains as well. So yeah, I'm doing that and it's honestly it's made me bet it's gonna make me better at interviewing. I'm going around this Sunday with Kieran, you know, from Swan Landscapes, and um I'm going to town to interview people. So hopefully that'll make me better at interviewing people Because you have to when you're interviewing you have to listen properly and you you have to let the sorry You have to let them talk Um and you have to not interrupt you have to make them like feel comfortable Um Because you know they're just they're just like that, you know, you have to you have to be patient with them Um because sometimes you ask a question they pause and they say you know the real answer And you sometimes you just have to not rush them So yeah That's what I'm doing with changing chances and it's gonna be something that I'm gonna be proud of because I really want to work with them in the future more So yeah um that's been this is the bit that people don't see the stress and the doubt Now because I'm gonna talk about the bits that people don't see because it's easy to talk about wins but the last two months it hasn't been exactly perfect that I'm putting in this podcast There's been a lot of stress There's been a lot of moments where I'm very tired There's been moments where I've been like I can't be bothered today And there's been moments where I overthink and I start doubting myself and that's normal because I have been ill for the past week because I've had an infected throat so I've got that all sorted uh antibiotics, thank you, antibiotics and um so yeah I've got that all under control but that's been the week where I've been like eh also school school has been a bit more stressful as well GCSE's bumping up so um hopefully I can just get through that but what I've learnt is you can't let that control control you all the stress and that you can't let it control you because if you only work when you feel motivated you will not get far you have to work when you're not motivated as well even if it's small like it's one message um one plan one little steps it keeps it alive so yeah that's the real bit it's not just about the wins it's also about discipline and you need to show up because if you don't feel like you want to go to school because you're either really tired or maybe if you're ill you can maybe stay off but maybe but like you need to just show up and work relentlessly work when you don't want to work because i i because you have to and it will just help you as a person as well what I've learned in the last two months alright here's what I've learned so one you need to show up because showing up changes your life it really does you can't win the best pitch if you don't even go to the event so you can't pitch if you don't put your hand up and put your name in the bucket and two you need to speak because if you keep your ideas in your head they don't exist in the world and the world can't respond to something that doesn't exist they can't read your mind so speak three nerves are normal if you feel nervous it means you care it doesn't mean you need to stop doesn't mean stop four is you need boosts so one win leads to another win because your mindset changes and five five doing meaningful work keeps you grounded like changing chances it's not about attention it's not about helping and I like that long chill reflection now I'm going to chat a bit um like properly chat because this is what a solo episode is just me chatting a bunch of bubbles well it's not bubbles but you know me me me waffling on so yeah if I'm being honest the last two months have made me realise something a lot of the time people think opportunities are random they think it's luck and obviously there is some luck in life but I've realised you can create your own luck by putting yourself in the right rooms because if I stay at home and I don't get that moment if I don't go to the box park I don't pitch if I don't pitch I don't win the best pitch and if I win I won't get that boost so it's like a chain and that's what's mad the chain starts with one decision just going and I think people underestimate that they think the big moment is the big moment but the big moment is built from small decisions and I've been making better small decisions not perfect but better ones so yeah that's what I'm proud of and also I'm proud of the fact that I'm doing stuff that actually matters like the changing chances interviewing people in my school and that's not just content that's something that could help parents and I like being part of something like that because it makes me feel useful and helpful and it also makes me feel like okay my voice can actually do something so yeah that's where my head's at all right right right a little funny moment so after the event I was um I got I got a pizza because the Liverpool match was on and then so the Liverpool match just started and um I was I was sitting there um eating pizza with my mum watching the Liverpool match and loads of people were leaving the event and um they were letting the public back into the box park and there was about two or three girls sitting on the table about my age a bit older I think and they were sitting on the table opposite and loads of people were coming up from coming up to me asking me for like selfies and saying like oh well done you know you know you know hand doing me handshake and um just you know like be like I was someone important and that it made me feel like really heartwar heartwarmed if that if that makes sense um because it felt like I was I I was someone and loads of people coming up to me you know asking me like oh proper talking to me and that and on on my desk they saw the um like a microphone um you know the little DJI mics and they must have thought I was famous or something like they must have thought I was like proper famous because they were like you know when they were bumping each other going like um oh my weird look everyone you want to just get in a photo with someone and they you know I I could I could overhear them a little bit going oh my way do you reckon he's famous and um that was it was so funny because I thought like oh my way they must think I'm like really really famous when I'm really really not so that that was really really funny so yeah that was funny after the the event and I just want to say big up help bank because they are absolutely amazing right going on to I'm grateful I'm grateful for help bank I'm grateful for that event and I'm grateful that I had the guts to pitch um I'm grateful that I won the best pitch and I'm grateful for the 500 pound because it's helped and it's a big deal because you know you might be thinking this microphone sounds a little bit good and that's that's why because I spent some of the money on that I'm also grateful for the doorbell of dreams um I was part of because it made me think bigger I'm also grateful Sonny I am grateful like saying that I'm grateful for changing chances and Kit Messenger for trusting me with the interviews and I'm grateful for the secret invite even though I can't really speak about it yet but I will soon will soon you'll see out because it's a sign I'm going in the right direction so yeah I'm grateful Alright I'm gonna wrap it up there that's the last two months of my life helpbank networking event in Liverpool in the box park pitched on the stage about my podcast The Danifesto and where the money would go and I won the best pitch. Help bank gave me 500 pounds I've also been on the Doorbell of Dreams with Salmon Squibbs Storbell life changing Serenit and I did a little pitch about the event and erm and the Danifesto and I don't know who's gonna see that but you know um changing chances with Kit Messenger I'm excited to interview people in my school um for an online thing to help parents and everyone and I've been invited onto a massive podcast about ADHD and you will have to wait because it is still a secret and that's it so thank you for listening if you enjoyed this one please drop a follow and please follow me on Instagram YouTube Facebook TikTok and check out my Buz Sprout website where if you wanted to you could join the Danifesto plus for three dollars and that'll help me keep the podcast going and also you get early episodes two days early and also you get behind the scenes content and I will see you in the next episode. This has been the Danifesto have a cease one bye