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Two More Days to Thank Kung-Fu!

The past few weeks I've been waking up at about 5:30 am. It's not that I was "worried", but the second I was aware of being awake, my mind would immediately take off in a dead sprint. "WHAT NEW THING AM I GOING TO DO TODAY!? HOW CAN I MAKE THIS CAMPAIGN HAPPEN!?"

Know what I did this morning when I woke up? I rolled over and went back to sleep, happy as a clam. Because this, a $40,000 kickstarter campaign for the writing of my memoir, was entirely funded.

I'm still in shock over what happened yesterday. To recap, I had about $2,500 left to raise at 3:00 p.m. I tweeted they had moved my KickStarter timeframe from remaining days to remaining hours. I had 68 hours left. That really freaked me out! I still had $2,500 left to raise! So I made a quick post announcing these remaining hours as Lori and I were walking into Viola's first pediatric checkup.

While we were in the examination room, they kept switching out nurses and doctors on us, so in between I looked back to see my total remaining amount was just over $1,600! I was thrilled! That was nearly $900 in just a few minutes! The doctor comes back in, talking about this and that while my phone is burning a hole in my pocket. So then the doctor leaves, I yank my phone out to see we have $900 remaining! I went nuts!

Now, I understand that this may make me a bad father, but I went full cell phone psycho. I tweeted that we had $900 left as the doctor came back into our room. Obviously, Viola was fine, but despite being polite, I went to the corner of the room and checked to discover only $500 left! I tweeted that someone, anyone has an opportunity to polish off this ridiculous campaign!

The doctor left and a nurse came in to give Viola her shots. Ok, that was enough for me to get rid of the phone. Lori and I have agreed that watching over shots is a dad job. She turned away because she can't handle the pain of her daughter's cry when injected. So I hovered over Viola as they gave her a series of shots. Her eyes widened as I could see this unknown pain hitting her infant brain of my poor little girl for the very first time. Ugh, I always hate that part... 

Immediately afterwards, Lori grabs her and starts feeding her. I had previously explained to Lori how quickly this money was coming in, but I felt like such a jerk for being concerned about this at that moment. After Viola was feeding, Lori practically yells, "HOW MUCH LEFT!? COME ON WENZEL!" I pull the phone out of my pocket to see my dear friend Jason Murray, currently living in Portland, had donated the final $500. I can't remember what happened after that. My campaign was finally funded at 3:55, one full hour after announcing the final amount of $2,500.

All of the agony over starting this campaign. All of the personal pain of "putting this burden on you" to make "my" dream come true. It was so hard for me to start this and the previous 40+ days have been so difficult for me. And now, sitting in a pediatrician's patient room, it was over. I was fully funded.

We did it. 

With trembling fingers, in near shock, I immediately texted Jason,  "HAHA! MAN! THANK YOU FOR THAT!" His response, "I love you. Go tell your story." 

Goodness. At that moment I noticed what a realist I am, never assuming anything about the future. It was then when it hit me. This book is actually going to happen.

I had a few people message me afterwards concerned that the campaign was over. They had wanted to give! I informed them that the campaign is still open until 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning! That goes for the rest of you as well. The money I asked for was the bare minimum amount for my family to exist for eight months (including book printing, editing, travel, etc...) So any additional money you give could still be used for date nights with my Lori, trips to see my family, or even grab some corndogs on the beach this summer. There is still such a need for additional money! Please don't see my completion of the original amount as the final step. We've got two days left! It's just that at the beginning of all this mess, I felt so guilty asking KickStarter for a corndog allowance.

*CHANGE: Just alerted of a great idea by Kelly Heasley! The video I took of myself weeping in the car like a little girl while thanking you WILL be released IF my campaign hits $44,000!*

We ended the night with a few close friends at Terra, one table over from the exact same table where Lori dropped the bomb of being pregnant for the first time. Seemed fitting. My close friends had given me this brilliant bottle of Ruinart Champaign, which was toasted to the book my donators will receive next year, Thank You Kung-Fu.

 

IT IS FINISHED!

THANK YOU KUNG-FU IS COMPLETEY FUNDED!

I am a complete mess right now! Tears and laughter and sniffles and text messages flying all over the place! I have no idea what I'm even feeling! I shot a video of me thanking all of you, but it's laced with so many tears I don't think I can post it and still call myself a man!

First off, thanks to Jason Murray, the final contributor who put me over the top! And thanks to Gorilla, who put together an insane campaign video and helped with such a large contribution, when was that, YESTERDAY?

 

But even more, thanks to ALL OF YOU! I am honestly stunned this actually happened. I knew the physical cost of the time it would take to write this book, but was warned by so many people that $40,000 was too much. But I had to trust my gut and ask you for what was appropriate for me. If it didn't happen, it didn't happen. But knowing this funded campaign just happened, I am so pleased to know my wife Lori, and our two girls, Marian and Viola, will be properly taken care in the following months. YOU have given that comfort to me. 

I get the idea that you helped me create the time to write a book. Sure. But it's so much more than that. This story, Thank You Kung Fu, carries the weight of what I felt when I was ten years old. When I was given a glimpse of what my future may hold. You have taken part, first hand, in what I truly believe is a miracle from God. I know it surely feels that way to me right now.

This story will carry the weight of who my girls will one day remember as their father. It carries the weight of properly capturing the unbelievable and miraculous circumstances that landed Lori and I together. It carries the weight of my journey through this horrible battle with cancer. But at the end of the day, I truly hope there is something in there for you and the inevitable struggles you have or may one day encounter. 

Cheers to you my friends. I don't know what else to say other than I love all of you who have chosen to walk this road with me, knowing full well it is a long and narrow road.

All of my love.

Tonight, On Your Omaha Evening News...

I have been supported by people from all over the country, but there has been an influx in, what Counting Crows would call, “Omaha, somewhere in middle America”. I was born there, left for England for four years, then returned for my first week of kindergarten. I lived and went to school there from my first day all the way through my Graduation from Papillion LaVista High School in 1999. Omaha has always been my home, where my parents and some of my best friends still live.

Some people don’t care for high school, but I absolutely loved it. “Papio" was a large high school, graduating about 550 in ’99. And being an extrovert, I felt I knew just about everyone in my class. And there are a few moments I will never forget… Standing naked on stage wearing only a fig leaf covering for Mr. Monarch, which led to winning our annual male beauty pageant, playing trumpet solos on the 50 yard line at halftime for our powerhouse football team, singing and dancing in A Chorus Line, and being named Prom Prince. 

But really there is only one story you will ever hear about me from any Papillion alumni. On my 16th birthday, I was offered the role of “Tracy’s friend Eric” in Alexander Payne’s movie “Election”. My fellow classmates will remind you of my single line delivered to Matthew Broderick that I’ll always be remembered for. “What happened to your eye?” I can’t explain how many times this was uttered at our ten-year reunion…

I also remember a scene that got edited out of the final movie. In this scene, I asked Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) on a date while we were painting her posters. She turned me down because she was far too busy with her ongoing campaign for Class President. Nevertheless, I used that to my advantage off-screen and explained that I couldn’t end up being turned down by her in the end. She smiled, agreed, and we “went on a date” to a local coffee shop across the street. And, of course, at the wrap party she pulled me out onto the dance floor. I was so incredibly nervous. I didn’t even know how to dance, let alone with a celebrity! I expressed hesitation but her enthusiasm finally convinced me. And then what happened? Slow dance… as if the DJ knew. So, yes, I slow-danced with Reese Witherspoon. She was always such a nice girl. 

These stories, like having a one-on-one breakfast with Matthew Broderick in his trailer, watching his pinball skills, or explaining to him why we had to change the lyrics from “Tits and Ass” to “This and That” in order for our version of Chorus Line to compete at a state level. These stories (and more!) will be highlighted in my upcoming book if we can figure out how to raise that final $2,700!

This is going somewhere, trust me.

I remember my first day at Papillion LaVista High School. I walked into my Forensics class and saw the most gorgeous blonde, Brandi Petersen. She was from Papillion Jr. High and I was from LaVista Jr. High, but when we reached high school the two schools combined. I played it cool. Not pushing anything. Took my time. I suppose in some ways she was the female version of me. She was a Forensics genius, played all of the major roles in our school plays, had an incredible voice as she sang in our choirs, ended up being the Homecoming Queen and, eventually, Miss Nebraska. And you know what she’s up to now? She’s the Evening News Anchor for KETV in Omaha, Nebraska! 

Recently, she interviewed me and explained my full story on her blog. It was fantastic how she captured the story through her own unique voice. As always, Brandi did it right. But here’s something I bet a lot of people from my high school didn’t know…

She was my first kiss! I kissed an evening news anchor!

So we’re bringing back the love as she continues to be such an amazing long-distance supporter through this crazy journey in my life. Check out her recent blog as she shares my story to Omaha natives in support of my Kickstarter campaign.

OK! We started out the day with $3,300 left and we're already down to $2,700! Let's keep it going!

Gorilla Steps Up!

Last night my phone beeped. Fully understanding my inappropriate relationship with my phone these days, I picked it up to see what had come through. I looked, my mouth dropped, and my eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I saw. 

Gorilla, the same film company who put together my trailer for KickStarter, had offered $10,000 to my campaign! Concerned it could have been a mistake, I immediately called Eric Johnson, head of Gorilla. He explained that he and his company have been behind this project from the very beginning and saw I needed an additional bump to bring this home. And was he ever right! 

I remember the first meeting I had with Eric earlier this year. I had previously sent him my book proposal and when we sat down to meet he looked me directly in the eye and said, "David, this book has to be written." At that time I was still so scared about putting this concept in front of the public, but because of Eric's support that morning and his dedication to giving me one of the best KickStarter videos in history, I decided to take the next step. And well, here we are! There are two days left and only $3,300 to raise.

So here's the crazy part. Eric and Gorilla are in production of their first major motion picture. I am well aware of how much they need the money right now! They have written a teen comedy, Camp Manna, that I've read and think is ridiculously brilliant. As I've kept a close eye on my twitter feed, I see they are actually beginning production right now. I've been in their shoes before! When you begin production, everything else disappears. There are so many different elements where Eric and his crew at Gorilla need to focus on right now.

But they didn't leave me behind. They chose not to leave me alone in the middle of my campaign. I just don't know what to say in response to that. Thank you? You gave me the video that made my project happen? You financially saved my project? You helped provide the money for me to write this book for my daughters? There are no right words for moments like this.

And I find myself overtaken, once again. The people that have surrounded me and, when facing these final days, returned to the Kickstarter site to raise their donations and continue spreading the word via their social media. I feel there are simply no words to express my gratitude to all of you. It's further evidence that God always seems to come through. Of course, not before He takes me to the edge of a cliff, shows me how ridiculous my ask was, requiring too much commitment from my friends. And as I come to grips with the fact he's probably right, then and only then, does He show up to come through and provide again and again. 

To Gorilla, I thank you! And to the rest of you supporting my campaign, I thank you!

Now, let's finish this off! Let's dig under the couch cushions, rifle through the change drawer in your car, find dollar bills in old pant pockets, and donate the final $3,300!

Failure

The Failure:Lab event held on Friday night was incredible! I wanted to share the youtube video of my talk that was posted yesterday. It's been confirmed we raised over $8,000! Thank you to any of you who made it to the event and, for the rest of you, I'm pleased to offer you this video. But before you watch my Failure:Lab video, check out my Kickstarter page that inspired this entire event.

 

 Now! Onto my failure!

 

Brian Kelly, a fantastic local photographer, took these images just as I walked off stage. The only word I can think of when I look at these is RELIEF. He didn't direct me or tell me to pose, it was just the first thing I did when I was off the stage. This image shows my feeling of relief so well...

 

And how about this?! I don't know if I've ever seen a photo of the back of my head and was shocked to see that my hair is starting to grow back! From this angle it looks nearly even. I still have the front left section which is slowly growing in, but from the back it looks great!

 

So my dear blog readers, I am approaching the end of my campaign. Only four days left with a lot of dollars to raise. I truly hope I haven't bothered you with my incessant ramblings about all of this. But I actually sent a similar message to my backers last night and I've been at complete peace ever since, so I wanted to share it with you. I think I've come to grips with what this campaign means for my life.

If this KickStarter Campaign is a failure, I think it's time I leave this story in my past.

I've felt for so long this story "exists" for a specific reason, but if it can't come about through this Kickstarter channel, I don't know when or where I'll have the time and energy to bring it about through any other. I know far too well this life is fleeting and I want to spend it with my wife and girls. And I am aware a future filled with laying in bed dreaming about what this book could have been after this Kickstarter failure will only bring me more pain.

It just felt like this was the right time, the right moment, to bring all of the colors, medical tests, countries, tastes, doctor visits, music, love, loss, joy, whiskey, peace, and frustration to light. And if it's not the right time, I don't know if another moment will come about. So I must bury them instead, a funeral for these emotions and these stories, so I can continue to live. And honestly, that's okay with me.

If I can't create with these feelings, these stories, I must leave them in the past so I can whole-heartedly pursue new creations in the future. I just know there isn't enough room for my past and my future to co-exist. I've been creatively and attentively held back by the concept of this book for the past 6 years, and if this campaign doesn't work, I feel I can no longer hold onto the idea of it. I have to let go of this burden I've been carrying next to me, solely for the sake of sharing it with you one day. No more blogs about divorce or previous mistakes or feelings from the past. Just the present. I imagine the blog will suck quite a bit more if it's not about my failures, but that's fine by me.

This campaign represents a door, an inciting incident, in my life. If my Kickstarter is funded the door will stay open, giving me proper time to tell my story and share it with you. If my Kickstarter is not funded the door will be entirely shut, burying my past and letting me move forward with a clear and weightless heart. I can barely believe I'm typing this, but I feel more and more confident this decision needs to happen next. 

To each of you reading this, it's been an amazing journey and I still hold out hope we can find a way to sneak this campaign past this closing door. I don't know what to ask for anymore. I'm all out of tricks. All I am is a man asking you to please keep this door open just a little bit longer so I don't have to bury this book forever.

Failure Ends With Success!

Failure:Lab was an incredible event! It appears we raised over $8,000!

It was such a pleasure speaking alongside Terry Johnston and Dr. Brandy Lovelady Mitchell. Each of their stories were incredibly moving. I made sure to tell them how appreciative I was of them sharing their stories on my behalf. So much love for each of them.

Just as I exited the stage I was photographed by Brian Kelly. I'm pretty sure this pose was the first thing my body did. Wasn't planned, wasn't instructed. My body simply went into relief mode. Relieved my talk was over. Relieved the event turned out so great. Relieved that, at the end of it all, the failure I just struggled to share turned out to be my new reality.

 

It was fantastic to meet so many new people! I had to laugh when a few strangers came up to me and essentially asked, "Well... what happened next?!" I was pleased to report that Lori and I got married, named the baby Marian, and just had our second child, Viola.

All said and done, I owe this event to so many others who gathered around me to make this happen. First, kudos to Jonathan Williams and Jordan O'Neil from Failure:Lab. I still can't believe you two pulled off this event in 9 days! Thank you to Paul Moore and Annie Kibler from Start Garden who offered us their incredible space. Thank you to New Holland Brewing for their liquid courage, and to Paul Lee from Donkey Taqueria who provided the entire audience with a wonderful dinner. Thank you to Jen Pohlman, owner of Sip, for bringing us her amazing juice. Finally, I want to thank Alex, lead singer of The Soil and The Sun, whose music helped us take in and consider the failures we were just offered.

I have officially raised OVER half of the needed money! $22,500! As tomorrow comes, I know the nervousness will settle back in. People keep telling me it's the "final few days" when the majority of the money usually shows up. But I can't sit back and wait on that. Have to keep moving forward. 

I know I'm still jumping, but next I have to jump through a few more hoops to pull this off... 

If this is all new to you, check out my Kickstarter campaign and donate now, before I have a heart attack!

FAILURE:LAB SOLD OUT!

 

 

WOW! I am absolutely thrilled that tonight's Failure:Lab event has sold out! Also, can't wait to hear the voice of Alex, The Soil and the Sun's lead singer! However, fear not internets! My talk will be recorded and posted to this blog in the near future!

Goodness, I don't know how else to say this, but I truly feel BLESSED by the entire city of Grand Rapids!

I love you all and will see you tonight! Bring your failures and leave with hope!

I have also attached a recent interview I did with 8 West's morning show. Everyone there was so incredible! If you are interested, you can learn more about the Sold Out event here! (Sorry, not too quick with code to fix the video..)

 

UnThink Cancer

Erik Wahl and I have been in cahoots for nearly seven years now. He is an author, astonishing graffiti artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a corporate keynote speaker who travels the world sharing his undying love for the act of creation. 

In the past ten years, he has shared his incredible message with the largest and most influential companies (Google, AT&T, Microsoft, NBC, CNN, Forbes, xPrize) in the world, leaving behind his prized artwork as a reminder of his passion for breakthrough thinking. He truly is the Warhol of Wall Street, the Renoir of ROI, and the Picasso of Productivity.

As his bestselling book, "UnThink" states, his goal is to teach these employees how to "unlearn" their typical corporate creative ruts and inspire them towards new innovations and superior levels of performance. He's got a million stories, but the one I love most is when a Microsoft employee who, in the middle of Erik's talk, was inspired to create an entirely new idea netting the company $20-$30 million dollars! 

Here's a great photo (and video) of when my company, Dot&Cross, filmed Erik using everyday garden mulch to create this incredible reproduction of the Mona Lisa in the middle of a California desert! 

 

Recently, Erik entered the following video to the American Cancer Society as part of his application to become their national spokesperson for 2016. And he was selected! In fact, as part of his deal, he strongly desired to have me present with him at a few of his upcoming events since, as he says, I have served as an inspiration for him! So in early August, I will be in Dallas, on stage with Erik at the 2016 Nationwide Relay For Life Leadership Conference!

 

Erik, you deserve a massive thank you, but in addition I have to declare a GIANT SHOUT OUT to Tasha, his wife! I have never met a woman who works half as hard as she does to promote her husband's message to the world. She is an unbelievable wife to Erik and still outruns her three soccer playing, song writing, world traveling boys! Trust me, these two working side-by-side makes them the power couple of the year... I love you both!

If you are new to this site and are interested in my current KickStarter project or interested in what Erik has offered you for your support, click here!

Get Lucky

I noticed today was July 7 (7/7), which reminded me of a funny story. Apparently, 2 or 3 years ago, I was flying into Las Vegas and realized we were on Flight #777. I was shocked! I started laughing when one of nearby flight attendants politely asked what was so funny. I told her why I was laughing, and she looked at me dumbfounded. I tried to explain, Vegas… Flight 777… then realized she wasn’t going to get it. So I turned to explain this to the person sitting next to me. Again, absolutely no response. Not even an, “I get it, but it’s just not funny”. Maybe this was only funny to me? So when I landed I got into a taxi and what was on the radio? “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk. This was a sign from the gods that it was my weekend to Get Lucky and make some serious cash in Las Vegas! But, go figure, I spent the entire weekend there and failed to gamble once. I may have missed my boat...

But speaking of getting lucky, I just hit another 7-7-7 on my ol' KickStarter slot machine! 

Chris Mann (@IamChrisMann) saw my KickStarter page and is now a passenger on the Thank You Kung-Fu train! Chris came into the spotlight as a fourth place finisher on NBC's The Voice (2012). Since then he’s been growing in popularity, releasing CDs and DVDs over the past few years. But his star is still on the rise as he is currently playing the Phantom in the US Tour of Phantom of the Opera! WOW!

So, in order to help me reach my financial goal, Chris has generously offered me:

- His signed album, "Roads", named #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart (featuring a duet with Christina Aguilera), and a signed Playbill for the "Phantom of the Opera" - $75

- His signed LIVE Concert event on CD/DVD including a duet with Martina McBride and Mindi Abair  - $50

- His signed Christmas CD/DVD (featuring a duet with Martina McBride) - $50

These amazing and personally signed gifts have just been added to my Kickstarter page. I’ve tried to include speakers, authors, artists, but just realized I was missing Broadway! And what better addition than the current Phantom of the Opera! All I Ask Of You is to take advantage of this amazing opportunity and Think Of Me! My campaign is just shy of $12,000, so let's forget this Masquerade and keep spreading the word! If we do, we'll get this campaign Past the Point of No Return!