Chat with Dan, reinvent yourself in difficult situations, start now start simple.

Yasi: Daniel (known more popularly as DanRam) is a 5x TEDx speaker, 3x entrepreneur, prolific event MC, and startDaniel (known more popularly as DanRam) is a 5x TEDx speaker, 3x entrepreneur, prolific event MC, and startup coach. DanRam ignites the stage as an Event MC & Speaker at over 100 events a year. Hosting change-makers like President Barack Obama, billionaire founders like Sir Richard Branson, record-breaking athletes like F1 champion Nico Rosberg, Grammy-winning artists, and celebrities. His passion is to inspire people with his motto ‘Start Now Start Simple’ in building a future we all want to live in.

Hello, thank you for coming to podcast.

Dan: My pleasure to be a guest on your show.

Yasi: And where are you now? 

Dan: I am currently. Where am I? Good question. I am in cologne. No, yeah, I’m in cologne. I’m so sorry. The last week has been mad because I made my first pandemic trip from Asia to Europe and as expected it wasn’t.

Easy. So I ended up being, uh, in two other cities that I did not plan to be in new Delhi and then in Dubai, but I finally made it and then took a train yesterday. So. 99% sure I’m in cologne right now 

Dan: There’s no direct flight, correct? Direct flights, visas COVID tests.

There’s a lot of new, uh, precautions, which are all there to protect us and they keep changing. And that’s the struggle. So as I’m flying a rules, keep changing, but I’ve made it here and I’m really excited. I’m here to host some major tech events. One is on mobility. They’re the ones on digital marketing.

The other was an entrepreneurship. I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to interview some people like guy Kawasaki, Arianna Huffington, and some big names. So I am here to hopefully make the world a better place through the magic of virtual events. 

Yasi: Awesome. Sounds very interesting. And I want to touch on, on that.

Like even now a days, most of the events are canceled or move online as MC yourself, how did it impact your business and what did you do to deal with it? 

Dan: That’s a great question. So March, 2020 is when I discovered the concept of Corona virus. Nine COVID 19. Never knew about that before and immediately realized that my career was over immediately because my career involves.

One involves traveling to about four continents. I usually do two to three flights per week, and second involves large groups of people, anything from 150 all the way up to 50,000 people. And so I knew a Corona virus that neither traveling nor large groups are going to be allowed. I knew this career is over.

I decided to go back to India, to my parents and do what I do best, which is reinvents and adapt. And I’m happy to talk about that as well, but essentially, uh, transitioned my business from virtual. So from physical events to virtual events and from physical speaking to virtual speaking and from physical coaching to virtual coaching and like with anything new.

It takes trial and error. It takes failure. It takes struggling, but when you persevere, you find success and I’m really proud to say that my business not only has survived, but is thriving in a new revenue stream that I did not know even six months ago. So it’s worth the efforts to reinvent yourself, but that’s essentially what’s happened for me.

Yasi: It was actually very fast winning six months, you reinvented your whole business and then you are seeing success from the new Ms. Business model. 

Dan: I am not one of these internet salespeople. I’ll be like follow my six step program and you’ll become successful. I will say though, that I’ve had a lot of practice at it.

The son of an Indian. I grew up in 10 countries. So every two to three years, we used to move to a new country. And so I learned from a young age, the importance of the three steps to adapting, one letting go of the past to engaging with the present and. Positioning for the future. And so I’m able to go through each of those steps faster.

It’s not that I can skip the steps, but I can, I’m just got the tools now to deal with it. So for example, letting go of the past for a lot of people, they can hold onto regret. Fear, struggle. Heartbreak for years. Whereas for me, I know that through music, through sports, through good morning routines, through daily exercise, through journaling, through meditation, you can process what you need to let go of in a more efficient way.

And so when I looked at my career, my business empire, my connections and my staff and all the things I’d built for the last couple of years. And I realized that it was all going to end. It could’ve taken. I could’ve spent a whole year just grieving the loss of the past. I was able to do that within maybe three or four days because I have these tools now.

And then when it comes to engaging with the present, you know, it’s a matter of writing down ideas, brainstorming, exploring different things, trying it out. And I’m much quicker now to just try, just see what happens and not to fear failure. Whereas for some people they can spend weeks just thinking about one idea and afraid to launch because they want it to be perfect.

Whereas for. I’m like, let’s go for it. Let’s throw things at the wall and let’s see what sticks. And so each of these steps I can just do more efficiently. So I’ll just have had more practice at it, which is why six months seems really fast for most people, but I’ve had to reinvent myself a minimum. Of maybe 15 times and I’m 34 years of age.

Yasi: So on average, we’re talking a lot, indeed. And then notice, I’m sure a lot of people have, um, either lost their jobs or face difficulties in their own business. It’s very important to reset the mindset and the move forward. Like you said, reinvent yourself. 

Dan: Absolutely. I love that. Reset the mindset.

Yasi:

So. Uh, you mentioned some tools.

What are the tools that you think are helping you? 

Dan: Well, I like to keep this practical, so let me talk about probably the most important tool. And it’s one that a lot of people know, which is guarding your. I would be even more extreme than that. I’d say, be selfish with your mornings, do not share your mornings with anybody or anything, except for what you decide to.

And I’ll tell you why. When I used to work for employers before I would do what most people do, which is I’d wake up just enough time to take a shower. Get some clothes on and head to the office. And along the way, I’ll check my email and immediately my to-do list will be created through the email list, right?

So everybody will tell me what they require from me. And I would make a to-do list accordingly. And I found out that there was zero time in that I reverse engineered it and essentially started with just Monday mornings. And I would wake up two hours earlier on a Monday morning, just one day a week to do three things.

What I call my 3g. God Jim and goals. And so I spend time spiritually reading my Bible, praying, meditating, just looking at life in the macro set. So not the minute detail of turning this report, clear this inbox have this meeting, but really like, why do I exist? What is my purpose? What is my mission?

Thinking the big stuff. Then second is Jim and I found that healthy body equals healthy mind. And so just spending half an hour, 45 minutes in the gym, working with. Did marvels for my energy during the day of third was goals. I wrote down what I thought had to happen professionally, personally, relationally in all the different areas of my life.

And that way I felt like I was in control of what was going on. And so it started off that way. And now it’s become a daily thing. On the worst days, I give myself a minimum of 35. But on the best days, I’ll do a full two hour routine, but I’m selfish about my mornings. I do not share it with social media.

So I do not check Instagram, DMS and Facebook messages and LinkedIn personal messages. Um, I switch off the news and media. I, uh, do not talk to people that drain my energy are exhausted. Uh, and I’m really selfish. And I just look at a few areas that fuel me that give me energy, uh, things like, uh, physical, emotional, spiritual relationship.

Creational so kind of in these five pillars, I will do at least one activity from each the spiritual. I was reading my Bible at the very minimum and on the good days, I’ll also listen to some music and I might write some poetry or go for a walk in nature and the physical, a workout for at least 10 minutes on the best days.

A good 45 minute workout. Creational is interesting. One I think is really important to spend time writing, reading. Uh, and things that fill you up, maybe listen to a quick podcast, maybe some nice music that just gets you in the right mood. Relational. This is important. Do an audit by not the friends and family members that fill you up, make you feel like a better person.

And also the ones that drain you, avoid the ones that drain you in the morning and be around the ones that fill you up in the morning. I have friends that leave me voice notes on what. And there’s few messages I’ll listen to the morning. Cause I just know it gets me going. Um, and then emotional it’s really important that you check in with yourself.

So take time out to have a healthy breakfast, take time out, to be intentional, make a good cup of tea and really don’t multitask like enjoy listening to the sound of the water boiling and watching the infusion happening, like just be really present. So that’s just one very practical. On what you can do during times of chaos during times of uncertainty, it’s really good to lock in some time, especially in the morning where you’re in control and you do the things that fill you up that.

Yasi: Sounds like a really great routine. And I really liked the part that not only workout to build up your body fiscally, but also meditate, read, focus on yourself and also build up your mental strength. And then by writing down the goals you stay focused, what do you want to achieve? You take your life in your own control.

I think this is really covered all aspects of how we can. Improve ourselves, how we can emerge ourselves in positive, energetic state of mind. I love it. I love it. Yeah. I know that you graduate with a degree in economics from year university, so it was an Ivy league graduate. And then later on you also get a master degree from Trinity college.

So how did you end up being an event MC as I assume, most of your classmates with working in banking or consulting. 

Dan: Yeah, well, to be fair, I wanted to do that as well. My dream job was to work for McKinsey or Bain and Cole KPMG. Cause I’ve got the qualifications for it. And to be fair, I also have the interest for it, but I’m very fortunate that I have great parents that ask good questions.

And I remember even young when I was in school, they would ask me questions about. How was this fulfilling or not fulfilling? How was this satisfying or not satisfying? What are areas that you can grow and improve? What are areas that you can celebrate? And so I think I’ve always learned to introspect and ask important questions.

And I realized that career is more than just a job title. Career is more than just a ladder that you climb career is more than just income or benefits. Um, to me career has to be alignment between might give some talents what the world needs right now, the problems that are worth solving. Uh, it has to involve some kind of business model because otherwise it’s just purely passionate has to also make sense as to be sustainable.

It has to be challenging. That allows for some level of growth, it has to be the intersection of all of these things. It’s so much more than just a job application and interview and here’s my new desk. And so I think I realized when I graduated from college, that there are people that are better suited for consulting than me.

And as simple, I love being creative. I love reinventing, not just myself, but every situation. And bottom line consulting is not about that. Consulting is predominantly a best practices. Look at the past and learn from the past. Whereas I’m very much a look at the future. Let’s expect to fail and do things like we’ve never done before.

So it’s not a good fit. Also for me, I like project based work. I like changing things up as you know, I’m in a different city. I moved with a different event every three days. There is no project in those consulting companies that finishes in three days, none. And so it just isn’t the right fit. So I’m not here to say what’s the perfect job in life.

I’m just saying, find the alignment. And I will say that event emceeing was perfect alignment for me. I come. There’s a quote that I love that I used to stick on the wall and stick in my, uh, background on my phone and on my laptop that says, don’t ask what the world needs. Find out, find out what makes you come alive, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.

And so my question was always what makes me come alive and event emceeing makes me come alive. The tech conferences that I do, right. Is that perfect mix of intellectual challenge. Right? So right before this call, I was interviewing the executive vice-president for Samsung talking about the future of smart television, right after this call, I’m talking to some of the top startup ecosystem leaders in Europe.

And then after that, this evening I’m interviewing someone who was very senior at Oracle. He’s one of the top C-level managers for Oracle. So I am intellectually challenged because I have. Learn multiple things from artificial intelligence or robotics to connect to devices, to smart payments and on and on and on, which is great.

I have to be creative because I have to change up how we do events, how we do panel conversations, how we do interviews all the time. I am challenged socially because I have to deal with people younger than me older than me senior than me lower than me. Like in all different areas. I’m culturally challenged, uses my background growing up in index 10 countries because I’m interviewing people all across the world in all different areas of life.

Um, I feel also like the performance out of me, cause I’m a musician, uh, is also used before. After all, when you’re onstage, you’re performing. And so I love that. So it really is a perfect fit of all the different gifts and talents. And like I said, I think it is at the intersection of what the world needs, because these conversations is essentially creating the future of the world.

So the stuff I talk about today is what implements in six months, a year or two years, the conversations that we have with these decision makers. Is what affects every person out there. And so I feel like I I’m doing my part in shaping hopefully a better world. 

Yasi: Yeah. And also you are a very forward-looking person by engaging into the conversations that also interest you because it’s future looking.

Popups. Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s interesting what you mentioned, that, how you find your own purples, like your interests that you feel alive, but I’m sure that most of the people out there, they might not have the opportunity or they do not know how to find the things that is perfectly aligned with what makes them alive.

So what advice can you give it to those people? Those things that enlightens you or makes you feel alive. 

Dan: That is a great question. I do not have a course on this. Although I have been thinking about creating a course on it because a lot of people ask me, Dan, how do you find your purpose? And I think the only reason they asked me that is because I think I live a life that feels like, wow, Dan’s figured it out.

I will admit though, In many ways it was experimental intentional, but also accidental. So let me explain what that means. Experimental. When I was in school, I gave my best to the tennis team. I gave them my best to the band. I gave my best to my studies and gave my best of my volunteering. I gave my best to my church.

I gave my best to my family. That’s called experimental. I tried everything. I did it. That’s an important ingredient. Next intentional, I was very intentional about analyzing, does this make me a better person or does this drain me? Does this fill me up or do this empty me? Is this useful or is this not beneficial to anyone?

That’s the intentional part. It’s not just about doing stuff, but thinking about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, how you’re doing it, but the third part is accidental. I can’t control the opportunities that come in front of me. I can’t control the people that come in front of me. This is just called positioning.

And it’s in some ways it’s accidental. If you’re a person of faith, like I am saying that I am, I would say it’s providential. So some greater source out there is bringing these opportunities to me. But at the end of the day, there is some elements of. It’s out of my control, but the parts I can control are experimental and intentional.

And then there’s that ingredient of accidental it. That mix is where purpose is found. So to me, I don’t think it’s a six step process, like, do this, then do this, then do this. And then you can write your purpose statement for life. I would be lying if I said that my life was linear, it was certainly left right forward, backward three steps forward, one step backward.

It’s the way life works. But in all of that is how I found my purpose. Uh, as you said, I did economics, a Yale. I did an MBA at Trinity. That’s not communications. That is not stage performance. That is not, uh, TV hosting or radio presenting. And yet that’s where my career has led. And along the way I worked at KPMG, I worked for the UN, I worked for world vision.

I worked for small nonprofits. I worked for big private equity firms. I worked, uh, as the advisor to the national government of Ireland, I worked in governments as one of seven people advising the national policy and entrepreneurship. So I tr that’s the experimental part. Like I did a lot of. I was intentional in every step of the way thinking is as good as, as bad as it helpful is, is not.

I know I was saying yes to opportunities. That’s the, uh, accidental part as they come by, I’d say, yes, let’s try it out. Yes. Let’s try it out. And bam, along the way, this is where I landed and then it just feels so right. Like literally in the middle of a pandemic when my career on paper should be over. I’m saying my, my business, not just surviving, it’s thriving.

We’re growing. How is that possible? I think it’s because I found my purpose. You know, I’m just in alignment with that. There’s no, I’m not bashing my head against the wall. I’m not forcing anything is just as the right fit. And I want that for everybody. I really do, which is why, when people message me on social media, I always messaged back going, let me help you out.

Let’s figure this out, but there’s no easy process. It is a. Experimental intentional and accidental. 

Yasi: well you mentioned the second one intentional. I think it’s also about being aware. Yes. Be mindful, not just do things because everybody else is doing it. Your colleague is doing it. Your university classmate is doing it, but ask yourself, how do you feel about it?

Right. 

Dan: You got to ask those important questions. Lots of questions. There’s no perfect list of questions either, but as what you said, being intentional with the questioning, the interests. 

Yasi: Yeah. And also listen to the inner voice. I really liked, I really liked the book from robot green, um, mastery, before I was, before I was reading this book, I was not paying too much attention to the inner voice, but the book says everybody has different universe, but sometimes out universe, voice is suppressed by the social, by the family, by people around them.

Oh, like following the trend, going to school that your parents expect to go to the school instead of doing music, doing arts, actually that is the inner voice is being suppressed. But if we listen to our voice and we do the things that is calling us, then we will find happiness or purpose or even do it better than.

You know, another job that, that your parents wanted to be, or you think is a good job. Yeah. 

Dan: You nailed it. And I think what you mentioned is to understand and hear your inner voice, you need to have self-awareness. And that to me is really the bottom line to anything purpose, mission alignment, fulfillment, happiness, like all these things that people really want awareness self-awareness is at the base of all of that.

Yeah. Yeah. 

Yasi: And also you mentioned that. Dealing with difficult situations. What do you think are the key important factors which everybody can use to deal with difficult situations? 

Dan: Sure. Let me again, make this practical and focus on one thing rather than like frameworks and, you know, theoretical stuff. I would say challenges we’ll have the first joy in your life.

Any personally and professionally. One thing that I find really helpful whenever I’m facing a challenge or obstacle is to delineate, to separate what I can control and what I cannot control, because a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress comes from us trying to control what we cannot control. So again, using the example that is obvious to everyone right now in 2020.

So if you’re listening from the future, In 2020 the whole world shut down because of a pandemic. I could not control how long I wouldn’t be allowed to fly. I could not control when a vaccine would come out. I could not control how governments would respond to the pandemic. The interesting thing is I would say 90% of.

News and social media is focused on these three things. What’s the government saying, what’s the president saying, what’s the prime minister saying, when is the vaccine coming out? And these are things we can not control. So why do we spend our time consumed with what is out of our control on the other hand?

And so, w I mean, before I get to the other hand, you know, what the result of that we feel paralyzed, we feel. Insignificant. We feel overwhelmed. We feel that we can’t do anything because we cannot, we cannot do what is outside of our control. What did I do instead? I thought to myself, all right, I can’t control if I’m flying next week or the week after, but what am I going to do today?

What am I going to do tomorrow? Cause that is in my control. So it started with small things. Like, let me call all of my clients and just make sure that. Just a personal call. We’re not going to talk about business. We’re going to talk about plans for 2020 or 2021. Just, are you okay? Is your family okay?

You always amazing from that is realizing that our social bonds go much deeper than our professional. And that was great. And that was totally immune control. The benefit of that, I felt like I made better connections with my clients. I felt that I could add value to them on a human level. The most important thing, I didn’t feel alone.

Like a lot of people felt alone and isolated during this pandemic. And I didn’t because I had reached out, I could not control if I was flying, but I could control how I use my time locally. So I started eating three healthy, homemade, organic meals. I could not do that when I was traveling, I think for about two years, I might’ve had less than 20 homemade meals because I was just on the road all the time.

And now I had three a day. I could go and do two workouts a day. I lost 15 kilos during this pandemic, one, five kilos. I could not have lost 15 kilos. If I was waiting for my next flight, no. Instead I thought, let me work out today. I’ll work out in the morning. I’ll work out in the evening. What’s the good part of that.

I feel better. I think I look better. I have a lot more energy. Like I’m delighted with the person I am right now. These are things that are in my control, like how I use my time, uh, who I connect with now, what media is I switch on and switch off. These are all in our control. So one thing I would say is when you’re facing challenges, when you’re feeling anxious quickly, write down what can I not change and stop thinking about those things.

Literally stop thinking about it. It’s a zero value to think of. And then focus on what can you control. And a lot of it has to do with things that actually will make you a much better person. And so if you’re in a place right now that you don’t have a job, okay, you cannot control when the job market will increase and improve.

You cannot control when economies will bounce back, you cannot control salaries, but you know what? You can control what skills you. A lot of online courses out there, you can control that you have the time for that. You can control connecting and networking with people online, whether it’s building a podcast like this, uh, like we’re on right now, or whether it’s going on LinkedIn and connecting with your old colleagues, you can control that.

You can control your mind. You can have healthy habits because you’ll do better in a job interview if you feel better in your head. Right? So these are all things you can control. So don’t feel. Don’t feel insignificant. Just focus on what you can control. 

Yasi: Yeah. Love it. Love it. And also focus on the positive things also.

Absolutely. Yeah. You mentioned that energy and I want to ask about this. How do you stay energetic? 

Dan: That is the million dollar question. The one I get asked the most. Dan, how do you have so much energy? Well, All right. Do I really want to share my secrets with you Yasi? 

Yasi: Still audience as well? 

Dan: Well, we talked about earlier, we talked about self-awareness and I think self-awareness is so key to energy.

Um, I know that I do better when I am intentional about my morning routine. So early in the morning, before the coffee comes in and the tea comes in, all that stuff. I do the things that fuel me. Like I said, my 3g has got Jim and goals. Guess what? I get some great energy out of all those activities. So guess what?

I start my day with great energy. Then I know that around this time. So right here in Europe right now, it’s about noon. So between 1130 and noon. I have a little slump. And so I will intentionally change things up. So right before this call, like I said, I was in the studio doing some interviews and then I was doing a bunch of emails and I felt a little bit of a slump.

So I got myself a lovely cup of tea, and I change up my routine to have a conversation with you because of this conversation fuels me up having this one-on-one conversation with you. And I’m aware that a lot of people listening, but I’m talking to one person here is something that really fills me up as an intern.

I like to either be by myself or one other person. But like I said, before this, I was in a studio with a bunch of people and production staff and everything running around. And it’s that level of chaos kind of tires me all as much as I love it. It drains me. So I’m intentional about that. Then after this call, I’ll get back to more work and they’ll take a lunch break and then I’ll do a little bit more work.

And then at three 30, I’ll take a coffee break and I’ll do a little bit more work. But the point here is I know when my tank is empty. So it’s not that I have endless energy. I’m just super aware of my rhythms. Everybody’s got an energy rhythm. Some people are morning people, not nice people. Some people, um, can work for four hours and then need a break.

And some people can only work for 90 minutes and need a break. It’s just about self-awareness. And I am really through, through a lot of practice I’ve learned what are the activities that give me quick, enter. For example, a healthy snack, a good cup of tea. Uh, you know, that’s good energy that will last me for about 45 minutes.

It’s not going to give me three hours of energy, but it’s like 45 minutes. So if I know that I’ve got a big interview, that to do for 45 minutes, that’s all I need like a banana, a cup of tea. Boom. We’re ready to go. But then I also know that things like, uh, an hour long gym work. Can probably keep it running for about three hours.

So this evening, before I do my big stretch of recording, I’ll hit the gym before that. Now, usually I do the gym in the morning, but I was intentional about saving my gym for later because that’s when I really need the energy because in the evenings, like a lot of people, my energy drains. So how do I go into a studio and give it energy?

Like it’s 10 o’clock in the morning. But now at 10 o’clock at night. Well, the trick for me is if the gym before that, so it’s just a matter of knowing what fills you up, what fuels you, and then knowing how to refuel. Um, so I do a big energy top-up in the morning with my morning routine, and then I have little fueling stations throughout the day.

Um, that’s the trick to the energy. That’s the practical side. The. I guess the deeper spiritual side really comes down to this word gratitude. Um, as a person of faith, I firmly believe I was created, right? So I’m not here by accident. I’m not here because a bunch of atoms bumped into each other. Um, I, I’m also obviously a science fan and I’m not saying that I am completely believing, uh, I guess the conservative approach to Christianity either, but somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot and I firmly believe I was.

And anything is designed like this camera that we’re looking at each other, or this microphone that’s picking this voice or this hotel room that is behind me is designed for a purpose. There’s a reason that wall is black. There’s a reason there’s a mirror over there. There’s a reason for it. And so if I was designed, there’s a reason for me to, so I was designed with a purpose that makes me really grateful.

I’m not here by accident. I’m not here just because my parents had a little bit of fun. 34 years ago, I’m here. By purpose. And so that’s makes me grateful. But also when I look around me and I see the amazing opportunities like this one, having this podcast with you, or, you know, the work I do outside with these different events, it just makes me so grateful when I sleep on this bed.

And I think of all the people that cannot be in a hotel right now because of the pandemic. It makes me grateful when I go to the shop and buy this t-shirt. Wow. I have the money in my bank account to buy a t-shirt and there are homeless people today that do not have this money to buy a t-shirt something.

As basic as a teacher, it makes me grateful. This gratitude gives me energy. Cause it makes me go, this life is worth living. This moment is worth living and I have to give it my best. So there’s a little bit of practical and there’s a little bit of spiritual combined is where the energy flows. 

Yasi: Yeah, especially the second part.

I really love it because personally I was not so aware of this little things. And after living in Africa, when I came back, as I look at everything differently and it really just think being grateful makes a person so much more positive mentally as well. Yeah. 

Dan: The perspective thing is just a perspective thing because I want people to.

Because I do get this criticism, so I’ll be honest about it. People will be like, oh, but your life is great. That’s why you’re so grateful or, oh, everything, you know, you have. You’ve got platform. You’ve got access, you’ve got money. You’ve got global travel. If I had those things, I’d be grateful as well. And I want to let you know that is a lie.

Um, I am grateful because of perspective and that is something you can control. So let’s not forget the start of the conversation, my entire business that I built up, all my staff and everybody wasn’t jeopardy. My career was one of the first. So while a lot of people who may be listening, had to do with Paychex.

Like 40% cut or something I had to deal with going from a hundred events to zero, like literally zero, every contract, every contract was canceled. Every, I only just point that out every contract and I don’t have a salary. I only get paid when I go do an event. So if every contract is canceled, that means I go from having income to zero income.

There’s no backup entrepreneurs and freelancers who are listening. You know what I’m saying? When I say there’s no backup, there’s no social security. There’s no government allowance like zero in. I still found ways to be grateful. Even then I was grateful. I could go back to my parents for some people there’ll be upset.

They going back to parents, I was grateful because I have a good relationship with my parents. Some people will be upset. They have to go back to India because most of my businesses in Europe, I was grateful. I could go to India because I focused on the fact that we have good weather and I was surrounded by nature.

It’s just a perspective. I could have complained. I said, every client canceled, oh, I have no income. Oh, I’m not in Europe anymore. Where my house is my opportunities. But it’s just perspective. It’s what you focus on. Right? Um, as I’m sure there’s someone else who would tell, who is sitting here going, oh, I’m all alone in this hotel room.

I’ve got nobody and I’m going, I’m so grateful. I have a bed and I’m so grateful. I can book a room. Right. It’s just perspective. There are people who would be doing my job and maybe not so excited about it because it’s exhausting. It’s draining. I had to take five flight. Three trains and three COVID tests to arrive here.

You think that’s easy? Do you think that’s fun? Do you think it’s energy giving? Heck no, but I don’t focus on those things. I just think those are the things I can control for me to get to cologne. That’s what’s required. I can’t control that. I can not control that, so I’m not, but what can I control? What time I wake up today and having a good breath.

And controlling my schedule for today. So I have good energy. So I just want to point it out. Don’t gratitude does not come from achieving something. Gratitude is just perspective. It is just a mind game. It is literally the story you tell yourself. It’s not about changing the circumstances. It’s not about changing.

The situation is not about change in the relationships. You don’t have to change anything. You just tell yourself a different story about the exact same situation you’re in. 

Yasi: Yeah, totally agree. Love it. And I also think your gratitude and your positive attitudes fuels you. That’s why you are also very energetic, partial, maybe.

And last question I want to touch on, on your motto. Start now start simple. So what do you mean by it and why is?

Dan: Well, you are a great example of a start now start simple. So essentially quick story after I graduated from two fantastic universities with two fantastic degrees, having all my CV, the United nations, KPMG, having awards from bill Clinton, George Bush, um, captain of the tennis team and all of this stuff accolades after actually.

You may or may not be shocked to, to know that I was unemployed for a period of two years. Not because I didn’t try, not because I didn’t qualify, but just sometimes life throws garbage at you. That’s just the reality of it. You can be a good person. You can be a deserving person. You can be optimistic, you can be positive, but life plays games.

And so for a period of two years due to a recession, right, 2010, um, I was in one of the worst head countries. Ireland and out of recession, I didn’t have recession. I was getting a recession. And so I couldn’t get a job for two years. I applied for hundreds of jobs. I gave it my best and I was so defeated by hearing this word.

No, no, no, no, no. Over and over again. And so I just made a decision. I said, okay, whatever the next opportunity. I’m going to say, yes, I don’t even care if I’m qualified. I don’t even care if I’m more qualified than it. I am so desperate. I’m just going to say yes. I’m going to give myself the first. Yes. Oh, I never realized the power of that simple three letter word because the next option that came in was actually really insignificant.

It is a. Useless story, except for the fact of what had led to, but I could not have known it at that point. And so it was a friend of mine. Who’s a teacher and she just teaches like sixth grade students. They’re like 11, 12 years old. And she called me and said, Dan, can you do me a favor? Can you pretend to be an investor?

Because my kids have been working on a project for 12 or 24 hours. The previous day, they had built a business, right? Whatever you can do in a couple of hours, or they need to present their idea to an investor. So can you come and help me out? It really. A inconsequential story and insignificant story of opportunity, except for what would happen from it.

Because investors have tons of money. Me, Dan Ram has no money. I’m unemployed for two years. So I knew I had to up my game. And so I went online. I looked at shark tank and Dragon’s den and all these TV shows with real investors. I dressed up and I was the best fake investor I could be. I rolled up in my suit, asked some tough questions.

I went back home. I was pretty satisfied with myself until that evening. An angry father called me and said, Dan Ram, never heard of you before. I don’t know what you said in this classroom, but now my little girl believes that she could be an entrepreneur. So you must be some kind of motivational speaker.

Can you please come to my staff? He works in a PR agency. Can you please come in and motivate my staff? And I’m thinking in my head, the irony of this, like, I don’t have a job. And he wants me to motivate his staff who have jobs. Like what the heck is that? Still Googled it. How do you motivate people who have jobs?

I wrote down some notes. I practiced my speech over and over again. And I went in, I was a great fake motivational speaker. Um, and then that evening actually, no, it wasn’t that evening. I think it was a couple of weeks later the department head called me and said, Dan, we have an opportunity to write an article for a local magazine.

And the article is future tech trends for Ireland. Would you be willing to write on this? And I was like, sure, like, what do I know about future tech trends? I’m not even in the tech space, but I know they would just feeding off of what I gave, which was my best. I gave my best as a fake investor. That’s what led me to the next opportunity I gave my best as a fake motivational speaker.

That’s what led me to my next opportunity. And so I wrote an article that article went to national. And a real investor from the real dragons, Dan called me up and said, Dan Ram, I’ve never heard of you before, but I’ve been asked to appoint seven people to advise the minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation.

Will you be one of the seven people? Cause I love your future vision for Ireland. And so this guy who was unemployed, who was a forerunner to Ireland, who. You know, always gave his best, but was certainly not qualified for this government role simply without word. I said, let’s go for it. And that’s was one of the tipping points in my career because that led me to a platform that I use for building businesses.

Then it became a founder. Those businesses did well because of the connections to government and other stuff that was doing before that, that led to me being an investor. The investment work led me to being on stage. Speaking about it, that led me now to being an event emceeing. And I realized the base of that was four words.

Start now. Start. If I kept waiting for the perfect opportunity for one of those jobs that I was applying for to say, yes, I would not be here. But I said yes to a volunteer opportunity. That seemed insignificant. That’s the start now part by saying yes. And the second it starts simple, like never underestimate what volunteering in a school could do to change.

Never underestimate what a garage can do to build businesses like Amazon. I mean, they didn’t start in the best coworking space with the best employees they just started with where they had never underestimate what a simple recipe can do to build something like KFC. One of the largest chicken franchise.

It started with just a recipe from a guy who was over 40 years old. At that point, he was filling petrol for trucks. That was his job. And he became the founder of KFC, never underestimate what a Google search can do to set up something like Alibaba. If anyone knows Jack Musk story, it started by going to the U S and Googling terms or realizing that China did not appear anywhere in Google.

And they’re like, all right, let’s create our own marketplace. Never estimate what a podcast can do and the kind of connections that you can make from it, right? Because if you had waited for the perfect studio or the perfect equipment or the perfect lineup of the best speakers in the world, you would have never started, but starting now and starting simple with what you have and with this moment is what, in six months in a year, you’re going to turn around because someone’s going to ask you, how did you end up interviewing Richard Branson or Obama?

And you’ll say, well, With the microphone in my house, a holiday, and it started off really simple and it started off now. So that’s what I do now is I use every opportunity, every resource, every platform, uh, to inspire people to start now start simple. And I coach them through that and I provide tons of free resources and connect on social media because I’m always, I do daily blogs and I’m always trying to share free information to how people can start now and start.

Yasi: And where can those people find you I’ll audience? 

Dan: So my name is Dan Ram, so you can look me up on www.imdanram.com or on social media on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, just go to at, I am Dan Ram. So I am. Dan D A N Ram, R A M. So that’s where you can find me. I respond personally to everybody.

Um, so don’t be shocked if I respond right away. Cause a lot of people are like, how do you have time to respond to everyone? And I’m like, well, that’s why I’m on social media. I’m not on social media to show you my fancy cars and houses. I’m on social media to connect with you, to help. So if I can support you do right to me and do not be shocked if I respond, usually if I’m not flying, I’ll usually respond within 30 minutes or an hour.

Yasi: Okay, great. I will also put this, your social media account and your website information in this podcast information. 

Dan: Please do. I would love that. 

Yasi: It’s such a great and energetic conversation with you, and I’m really glad that you make time for us. 

Dan: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And thank you for your support.

Cause I know you’ve been at a few of my events in the past, and so you’ve seen me live on stage, uh, and thank you for staying connected. Thank you for creating value into the ecosystem for creating these conversations with your other guests in the past and the guests in the future. So my respect and love right back at you as well.

What you’re doing. Thank you so much. Thank you.