A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

Agents of Ourselves: Part Thirty-Four


DON'T WAIT | ONLY A HANDFUL OF DISCOUNTED EARLY BIRD SEATS LEFT! It's not a virtual event. It's not a conference. It's not a seminar, a meeting, or a symposium. It's not about attracting a big crowd. It's not about making a profit, but rather about making a real difference. EXPLORE MORE • REGISTER HERE


Last week, Yvonne Jones, Laura Staley, Maribel Cardez, Tom Dietzler, and I enjoyed Visitor’s Day in our weekly writing workshop, Finding Your Voice. Our guest was the inimitable Phil Williams.

For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Phil, he’s the quintessential gentleman. He’s the latter-day embodiment of the E.F. Hutton commercial from the 1970s. His soft-spoken assuredness is all you need to be sure whatever he’s saying is worth hearing. Having beaten Stevens-Johnson syndrome’s 25 to 30 percent mortality rate, he refers to himself as a designated survivor. He believes he was spared for a reason. As a result, he lives his life with purpose, with gentle but unwavering intentionality, with generosity and goodwill.

Regular readers of this series know I like to create videos to accompany each installment. In those videos, I like to set original, rhyming verse to music. Phil inspired me to do something else and to use the words of someone else. I hope you enjoy this one. And I hope you take the time to connect with Phil. You will be changed … for the better.

Be like Phil.

Mark O'Brien
Mark O'Brienhttps://obriencg.com/
I’m a business owner. My company — O’Brien Communications Group (OCG) — is a B2B brand-management and marketing-communication firm that helps companies position their brands effectively and persuasively in industries as diverse as: Insurance, Financial Services, Senior Living, Manufacturing, Construction, and Nonprofit. We do our work so well that seven of the companies (brands) we’ve represented have been acquired by other companies. OCG is different because our business model is different. We don’t bill by the hour or the project. We don’t bill by time or materials. We don’t mark anything up. We don’t take media commissions. We pass through every expense incurred on behalf of our clients at net. We scope the work, price the work, put beginning and end dates on our engagements, and charge flat, consistent fees every month for the terms of the engagements. I’m also a writer by calling and an Irish storyteller by nature. In addition to writing posts for my company’s blog, I’m a frequent publisher on LinkedIn and Medium. And I’ve published three books for children, numerous short stories, and other works, all of which are available on Amazon under my full name, Mark Nelson O’Brien.

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


RECIPIENT OF THE 2024 "MOST COMPREHENSIVE LIFE & CULTURE MULTIMEDIA DIGEST" AWARD

WE ARE NOW FEATURED ON

EXPLORE 360° NATION

ENJOY OUR FREE EVENTS

OUR COMMUNITIES