Troy's Times - January 1st, 2006
Hi Friend! (Some ch^racters in th1s newsletter have been altered to keep it from being filtered out as spam) IN THIS ISSUE
“It is not important How we come to the events in our lives, but how we Deal with those events”- Troy
This week’s article: Panty Hose and a Pistol Pantyhose and a pistol. I am sure that neither the Hanes Corporation nor Smith & Wesson ever intended for the two to be used within the same sentence, or as the title of this book’s preface. As a former bank robber, however, these were the tools of my trade. As a professional speaker, they continue to be today. When delivering a presentation on making life changes, I start by thanking the audience for their time, and letting them know that it is both my pleasure and my honor to be there with them to share my story. I then ask them to take a close look at my face. I explain that this is the face of a loving husband and father. This is the face of a recent college graduate who earned both of his degrees with the highest academic honors. This is the face of a kind man, an honest man, a trustworthy man and a man of his word. For humor, I throw in that this just may be the face of a man who could sit them down at their kitchen table and sell them a term life insurance policy. As the chuckles die down, I again ask them to take a close look at this face. I then turn my back to the audience, pull pantyhose over my head and turn back around while leveling a replica of a semiautomatic pistol in their direction. I then ask them to take a look at my face again. This is the face of a man who, on March 20th, 1992, walked into the First Tier National Bank, pointed a semiautomatic pistol at the face of the teller, and demanded all of the '20s, '50s and hundreds – my first of five armed bank robberies committed over a six-month crime spree. Again, I ask them to please take a close look at my face. In my life, I have worn both faces. The transformation between the two – suicidal, drug-addicted, bank robber to what I am today – took place gradually over 7 1/2 years within the confines of a federal prison. I use this opening because it grabs my audience by the throat. Surely the clean-cut, suit-sporting, accountant-like man standing before them would be more likely to pull out a flip chart than a deadly weapon, right? After all, my introduction paints a picture of an all-American boy whose academic credentials have placed him on both the Dean’s and President’s List. But, I do it because I need their attention. I do it because, if I can meet every set of eyes while I am telling my story, and if they listen to my story, not a single person in the room will leave unchanged. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ In Roman mythology, there is a god with two faces named Janus. He is the god of gates and the god of beginnings and is depicted with two faces so that he can look forward and look back. I think about him often because my story involves the two faces of my past and my future. It is a story of creating new beginnings and a story of passing through a gate, representative of both the cold, real prison bars that I was behind for a large portion of my life and the threshold I crossed when I left my past and chose my future. As you think about the upcoming year, I want you to remember Janus. Who are you now? Who do you want to be? What has kept you from being the person that you want to be? I believe that human beings can adapt to any type of adversity and I believe that we all have room to make some positive change in our lives. My story and my writings are for those of you who are standing at the gate of your new beginning, looking at the past and preparing to choose a future as the person that you want to be. It is my hope that you can learn from my story and I can help you to embrace change and take that first step. Am I proud of the fact that I went to prison? Absolutely not. Do I feel remorse for my victims, and for the pain and shame that was borne by my family? Certainly. But, am I proud of the fact that I took a desperate situation and turned it into the life I lead today? Definitely. Do I believe that my struggles, accomplishments and life lessons can benefit everyday people in everyday lives? Absolutely. That is why I wrote this article and that is why I spread my message
and story to as many people as possible. Over the next 12 months as I
share my monthly thoughts with you – my ups and downs, good times
and bad times – I ask that you read my words not as coming from
a bank robber turned speaker, but coming from a man telling you that you
can be the person you always dreamed you could be.
Read
a letter from a recent client - Click hear to read! I often had a hopeless feeling knowing that all I could offer were words of encouragement and support and the sharing of my own downfall....that was until I became partners with a company called DrugTALK. DrugTALK is a v1rtual life coach dedicated to helping families, parents and young people overcome the threat and dangers of drugs through the privacy of their home. They do this by delivering the insight, tools and activities needed for parents to protect their children by putting vital protection principles into practice, often without parents even realizing it. Their programs and tools are based on decades of research and supported by a dynamic team of communication experts, family intervention specialists, treatment professionals, narcotics intelligence officers, life coaches, parents and---most importantly---teens who have faced the world of drugs first-hand. The CEO of DrugTALK happened to attend one of my speaking engagements
and after talking I skeptically took one of his Drug Reference Guides
and a DVD. Having lived through the hell of drug abuse I had my whole
adult life been conv1nced that nothing short of expensive in-patient treatment
centers could break the hold that drugs have on our young people. After
thoroughly studying what DrugTalk has to offer I was blown away- I can
honestly say that h^d these tools been available to me during my teenage
years that I most likely would have avoided the hell I put myself and
family through.
Featured product for this issue! MY FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK- " From Des per^ton to Dedication: Lessons You Can Bank On"…Click
here to order
Download a free chapter of my book, The Preface is available here - Click to begin! If you live in or near one of the following cit1es where Troy will be speaking over the next few months, please contact The Eva^ns Groups for details on an opportunity that does not come around often- see Troy present for free!
Sign up for my affiliate program and earn money while you sleep! Click here for details! Commission for booking me - I offer a comm1ssion of 10%-20% ($750.00-$1,500.00) for anyone who refers me for speaking engagements and/or bulk product sales. Please contact The Evans Group for details. Subscriber opinions and impressions of this electronic newsletter: I invite subscribers to write me with their quest1ons as well and I will answer them in the next issue. Also readers, I invite you to send in profiles of yourself and how you have used the inform^ton from my electronic newsletter, products or speech in your personal and/or professional lives. Once a month I will feature one individual for all others to read about!
Note: You are free to reprint any portion of this electronic newsletter as long as the portion remains complete and unaltered, and the “About the Author” section is included. About the Author- Troy Evans is a profess1onal speaker and author who resides in Phoenix, AZ with his wife Pam and his dog Archibald. Troy travels the country delivering keynote presentations, and since his release from prison has taken the corporate and association pl^tforms by storm. Overcoming adversity, adapting to change and pushing yourself to realize your full potential- other speaker’s talk about these issues, Troy has walked them.
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