Dash of Courage: The Resume that Backfired Beautifully

Exactly three years ago this week, my life changed.

I became one of only 300 people in history to visit all 197 countries.

A journey of 20 years, countless memories, incredible friends and family, and incredibly kind strangers. They pushed me, believed in me, and many even showed up to celebrate with me.
And just like that, it was over.

I didn’t know what was next. There was no book deal or Netflix show waiting.
Instead of clarity, I felt emptiness.

What do you do after chasing your biggest dream for 20 years?
I remember sitting at my laptop, staring at the blinking cursor, wondering what came next?

Blinking cursors and Blank calendars.
And because I didn’t have an answer, I did what everyone told me I was supposed to do. I wrote a resume and sent it out.

Spoiler Alert: It didn’t work
This resume is 100% true. And even though it didn’t land me a job, it did something for my soul - it pushed me toward the future I was actually built for. Which is why I’m a speaker…and not your coworker. And let’s be honest, that’s probably best for everyone.

My Ridiculous Resume (I Actually Sent Out)
He visited 52 countries in 52 weeks with only a tuxedo and a toothbrush.

Garrett Gravesen, the Professor of Possibility, stitches a passport quilt of tales so outlandish they make Marco Polo’s adventures look like a weekend getaway.

He 1^st learned to ski in North Korea and once visited 52 countries in 52 weeks with only a tuxedo and a toothbrush. Garrett famously Ran with the Bulls in Spain, where he won by a whisker, fueled by nothing but sangria and an unshakable belief to not look back.

He has started a nonprofit organization, spoken alongside Mandela’s cell mate in South Africa, and was honored with the same award as JFK.
Yet he has barely eaten a vegetable, had a sip of water, or run a mile. Garrett proudly dons a “0.0 sticker” on his chariot of choice.

When love is in the air he doesn’t miss. He proposed on a plane flight at 30,000 feet. On a Tuesday. And got married the next day.

Garrett’s passport is his narrative – each stamp is a story, and each visa is a verse.

He has stood on Everest Base Camp, slid down The Great Wall of China, and survived Antarctica for 10 days with nothing but a tuxedo when the airline lost his luggage. Luckily, he looked like the penguins.

He’s the co-founder who scaled three companies from scratch to more than seven figures with his unique blend of education and audacity. 

“10 Seconds of Insane Courage,” Garrett’s magnum opus, isn’t just a book, but a call to action. A friendly nudge to jump off the high dive into the pool of life, where every tick of the clock is an opportunity for courage and the serendipity that awaits when you turn every “what if” into a “why not.”

His life reads like an atlas infused with adrenaline – a spectacle, a seminar, a symphony of the splendid. Garrett, the man with a suitcase full of charm and a pocket full of laughter, is not your typical choice. He is a human carousel of courage and provides the spark for inspiring the extraordinary in others.

Garrett has survived great loss, stepped foot in all 197 countries, and won the same award as Elvis.

But he has not had the opportunity to work at your company...yet.

--
The résumé backfired beautifully and opened a door I never expected.
Not into a company but onto a stage, sharing these stories with companies everywhere.

Stories about how growth doesn’t wait for certainty - it demands courage. And how the only thing standing between you and a beautiful life…is fear.

Dash of Courage
Failures. Blinking cursors. Blank calendars.

Not everything that falls apart is failure. Often, it’s alignment in disguise.
This week, when you face one of those moments, don’t rush past it. Pay attention. Look closer. Let it steer you.

Because sometimes the very things that make us unemployable in one world are exactly what make us invaluable in another.

Courage over Comfort,
Garrett