For the person sitting in your room wondering if they still have what it takes. A keynote about identity, resilience, and getting back up when the chapter you’re in is not the one you would have written.
What This Keynote Is About
In The Hunt for Red October there’s a maneuver called a Crazy Ivan. The submarine makes a hard turn nobody saw coming to see what’s been sitting in the blind spot behind it.
I use that line more than I probably should. Because life throws Crazy Ivans. Loss. Setback. Betrayal. A diagnosis. A season that will not end. A sharp turn you did not ask for that shows you something you didn’t know was back there.
Between my junior and senior year at Murray State I took a summer internship at Walt Disney World. I was a helmsman for Captain Nemo on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I drove the submarine. First time living on my own. First time buying groceries. First time paying a utility bill, doing my own laundry, and trying to protect my milk from five roommates.
About three weeks in, my family came down to visit, and I was homesick in the worst way. I told my dad it was too stressful and I was riding home with them.
He understood. He also told me I had made a commitment to those people and I was going to keep it. So I did.
Years later. Married, kids, brand new position, long hours, no training, in way over my head. I called my dad and said the exact same thing I said at twenty. It’s too stressful. I’m going to find another job.
He said, “Well, that does sound tough. But you drove that submarine. You can do this too.”
I have heard that sentence more times than I can count. Four words. Forty years.
What’s the point of me telling you that? The tough times prepare you for the tough times. What felt like too much back then was training for what was coming next. Nobody tells you that while you’re standing in it.
There’s a second half to this. Years later I put my son Zach in the back of a Jeep headed for Parris Island. Thirteen weeks. No phone calls. Letters running about four weeks behind. At graduation they marched every recruit into that building and I’m telling you, they all looked alike. Same haircut. Same uniform. Same posture. Same everything.
And then I found him. There he is.
This is what I know. God did not create you to blend in. He created you to be found. He knows your face in a sea of sameness and He knows your name when nobody else can tell you apart. The moment you are most certain you are lost in the crowd is the moment He is saying, that one’s mine.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9That verse is my favorite, and it is not a decoration. This keynote is a message about getting back up. Not because it’s easy. Because you were made for more than giving up.
“God did not create you to blend in. He created you to be found.”
Paul Chappell · You Were Made For ThisHow It Moves
You are not an accident. Before you were anything else, before the title, the numbers, the diagnosis, or the mistake, you were called very good. Paul starts here on purpose, because everything downstream of identity stays wobbly until this one gets settled.
The tough times prepare you for the tough times. Paul gives people permission to look back at what they have already driven and count it as training instead of scar tissue. You have survived a hundred percent of your worst days so far.
The hard chapter is not the final chapter. There is always a Paul Harvey. Paul sends people out with something to do on Monday, not just something to feel on Thursday, and with a reason to keep showing up before they feel ready.
The Takeaway
Who It’s Built For
Every keynote is tailored to your audience, your industry, and what your people need to hear. If your room is carrying something specific, tell Paul before he builds it.
What Clients Say
“When I think about what Paul brings to the table, four words come to mind: Dynamic. Relatable. Impactful. Real. I’ve had the privilege of a personal relationship with Paul for over 25 years. He is the real deal. Whether you have him speak to your class, organization, congregation, or staff… there’s no doubt he will get down to business and he will get to the heart.”
“One minute you are rolling over in the floor laughing at an illustration or story he has shared to make a key point from Scripture, and then in the next moment tears are rolling down your face as you connect with Paul sharing a heartfelt personal story that truly touches your heart.”
The Practical Part
Full bio, stage introduction, headshots, and AV specs are on the Meeting Planner Resources page. Budget questions are answered on the speaking fees page, and here is what happens after you book.
Also Available
Lead Big. Love Big. Laugh Big. The signature keynote. A child running across the yard with both arms wide open, and what it looks like to lead from belonging instead of proving.
Explore this keynote →A × E × S = P. Attitude, Effort, and Skill are the only three things you control 100% of the time. Multiply them and you get your performance.
Explore this keynote →Need more than a keynote? Paul is Ziglar Legacy Certified and leads half-day and multi-day workshops for teams that want to go deeper than one session allows.
Tell Paul about your event and what you want your people walking out with. He reads every one of these himself and answers personally.
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