This week I attempted to enter the United States after being banned from entering 22 years ago (I wrote about it more in this previous post and even more exhaustively in my memoir).
I didn’t succeed. They turned me back after detaining me for 3 hours. It was the scariest thing I’ve done in a long time, and it pretty much went how I worst feared it. It was a long shot that they’d let me in. I figured if I had a “1 in a million” chance then I should try. Well, turns out it was impossible… AND I still tried, and I’m so grateful I did.
There’s a storyline within Star Trek about a training mission called “The Kobayashi Maru”. Cadets cannot win this mission. They will die (in a simulation). The lesson is in how they will perform in the face of certain death.
I knew the odds were greatly against me. I was also putting myself in real danger by messing with US Customs. It was like returning to the scene of a crime.
And yet I still tried.
I knew I had a choice. Continue to be afraid of this old story of mine, or face it head on. Prove once and for all whether it’s them keeping me out or was it my fear. Because I didn’t know for sure how much of this was “me” I had to step into the fire and see what happened.
I’ve now proven it’s them. I’ve removed myself from the equation.
The complete story is longer than I want to write about for my blog, so I’m going do what I do best and tell my story for an audience. I tell stories that change the audience. You are invited to be part of that.
I’m going to host a Zoom on Monday September 12, 2022 at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific).
I will cover all the details of what all went on, every emotion I felt, what I learned, how this changed me. I’ll answer all questions.
“Chris, I can’t explain it, but every time I see you step into your courage you make me more courageous.” – A Frolic 100 member.
This is an offer exclusively for Frolic 100 members. Click here to request to join. It’s free, but capped at 100 people at a time.
