4 Key Observations About Life After FaceTiming 50+ People

I set out to have 100 conversations with 100 different people in 100 days with the goal of putting smiles on faces. I can honestly say that every single person so far has smiled during our call which has been so fun to watch.

When I first began this project, I wasn’t sure how people would respond and if they would want to participate. I mean, it can be nerve-wracking to jump on a FaceTime call with someone you’ve never met for 10 minutes. 

What I’ve found though, is people are even more awesome that I expected! We’ve had over 50 people participate so far from teenagers to 50 year olds, from people in America to people in Italy, from students to executives and so much more. 

So here’s how we use our 10 minutes together on FaceTime.

I ask every person a series of 5 questions and then we flip the script and people can ask me whatever they want. Sometimes, I dive deeper into a particular question, but overall the goal is to have a fun conversation where we both learn about each other.

Here’s what I ask:

1. What are three things you are grateful for?
2. When you think of happiness, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
3. What’s something that puts a smile on your face?
4. What are you most excited about?
5. What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Each one of these questions gets people thinking about their purpose and what is most important to them. When I created this, I wanted to ask questions that would create a bond between us. I didn’t want to ask basic questions but rather jump straight into the deep stuff. 

I wanted people to have to think about their answers and to reflect on their life up to this point. These questions don’t typically come up in everyday conversation which has made for some awesome discussions about life and internal motivation. 

Once I’m done asking everyone their questions, I flip the script and let people ask me questions so it isn’t one sided and they can learn too.

Some of the questions I’ve been asked include:

1. Why did I start 100 People in 100 Days?
2. Who has been the most interesting person I’ve talked to?
3. What are skills needed for success in today’s world?
4. What advice would you give to someone who is in college?
5. What drives me everyday?
6. What should you focus on to make a great first impression?
7. How am I so socially outgoing? What do you do if you don’t feel like talking to people?
8. How do I add value to people?
9. What is my favorite way to eat a potato?

The questions people ask me are always so fun to answer. I love seeing what people come up with from the serious ones to the funny ones like #9 above. When Ella asked me this, I was so confused at first but I think I came to the conclusion that my favorite way to eat a potato is french fries. The funniest part was when she started telling me all the ways to eat a potato, I felt like we were in the scene of Forrest Gump when they talk about all the things you can do with shrimp. 

After 50 interviews with people, I’ve noticed some interesting things.

1. Everyone is searching for something. 
2. Having a group of people who support you is key to happiness.
3. Animals and hobbies tend to be great for putting smiles on people’s faces.
4. People want to see other people succeed because it gives them a sense of pride and meaning.

Right now, we are a little over the halfway mark, both in days and people, so if you want be a part of 100 People in 100 Days you can sign up for a time here.

Elevate in Action:

1. Sign up for 100 People in 100 Days 🙂
2. Ask yourself these questions and be honest with yourself about your answers. See if it brings up something that you can discuss with a friend or family member.
3. Have a conversation with someone close to you and spend 10 minutes asking these questions and building a connection. 

Jake Kelfer is a lifestyle entrepreneur and life elevator. He is the bestselling author of Elevate Beyond and Elevate Your Network and a high energy motivational speaker on a mission to elevate and inspire millions of people to achieve personal success and happiness. He is the founder of the Professional Basketball Combine which helps NBA draft prospects turn their dreams of playing pro basketball into their reality. He and his work have been featured on Forbes, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, NBC Sports, USA Today, Bleacher Report, and many other major media outlets. Connect with Jake on social @jakekelfer!