Storytelling

"I want to use today up. I mean, I want to honor them, the people who didn't receive the gift. I want to honor the day, and I want to honor myself by making the most of it."
— Ray Hartjen

Ray Hartjen was 55 when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma — an incurable but treatable blood cancer. His first instinct was to attack it physically: train harder, eat cleaner, beat the transplant timeline. Ten days in, sitting exhausted at a restaurant with his family, he realized he had pushed one instrument all the way up and let the rest of the band go quiet. The physical was everything; the mental, emotional, and spiritual had been left behind.

What followed was a simple exercise: draw a line, mark your birth on the left, your death on the right, and place an honest tick mark where you actually are. For Ray, that moment cracked open a new way of seeing time, people, and purpose. In the seven years since, he has published six books, built a global community around multiple myeloma, and rebuilt his life around what matters most — family, friends, fun, fitness, education, and challenge.

He also makes a warm, practical case that you are a better storyteller than you believe — and that your story is worth telling.

Learn more and connect:

https://www.rayhartjen.com

rayhartjen@gmail.com

Ray Hartjen on all major social media platforms — search Ray Hartjen

Resources mentioned:

Me, Myself, and My Multiple Myeloma by Ray Hartjen — available at https://www.rayhartjen.com and wherever books are sold; writer proceeds benefit the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: https://www.themmrf.org

Respark Your Life Podcast: https://www.resparkyourlife.com

Raymond Aaron: https://www.aaron.com

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Raymond Aaron has shared his vision and wisdom on radio and television programs for over 40 years. He is the author of over 100 books, including Branding Small Business For Dummies, Double Your Income Doing What You Love, Canadian best-seller Chicken Soup for the Canadian Soul, and he co-authored the New York Times best-seller Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul. Raymond's latest, co-authored book is The AI Millionaire's Path: Discover How ChatGPT-Written Books Become Bestsellers and How They Can Make You a Millionaire Author!

https://www.aaron.com