Lancaster, Pennsylvania-native Dan Armstrong was born with a cleft palate, a congenital abnormality during fetal development that leaves a hole in the roof of themouth. While today this is frequently surgically fixed during infancy, Dan, 60, had a prosthesis put in his mouth to enable him to speak. As you can imagine, as a result of this condition, he was mercilessly bullied by neighborhood kids and classmates.
While his parents always encouraged him to believein himself, even featuring him as lead on a song recorded by his family's musical act, The Armstrong Family, Dan was angry — so angry that at age 10, he nearly killed a childhood friend for making fun of the way he spoke.
"I remember putting my knee next to his head and pushing until I heard a crack. I remember hearing that crack and realizing I came this close to taking someone's life," he said.
Dan knew he had to work on his anger, andchanneled his energy into writing stories and songs, working on his speech and singing, and even acting in school plays. With guiding love from his parentsand practice to build his throat, palate, and lung strength, Dan ended up touring and recording with a band.
But he was also working a day job as a cable guy,which turned out to be an unexpected love. It enabled him to develop his affinity for connecting with people.
"I'm like a rolling bartender. I walk into someone's house, and they immediately open up," he said.
Dan turned many unbelievable stories from his career into a book, The Adventures of a Real-Life Cable Guy. Since its release, he has written or co-authored four more books with another on the way. He is also on the speaking circuit, turning his story into life lessons that others can follow.
"Right now, I'm very passionate about what Ido. When I speak to audiences, I swear I see people crying," he said.
Dan is an overwhelmingly positive guy with a loveof discovery, a genuine compassion for others, and a complete lack of judgment. His insights on the way to treat people are inspirational and ingenious.
I'm sure you will enjoy his easy-going nature inthis week's episode of Chiseled. Want to connect with Dan? You can check him out on his website, contact him on Facebook or listen to the end of the episode to hear him share his email address.