Toastmasters Speech
Dr. Tony Campolo, standing before his Sociology Class,
begins his lecture with the question, “How long have you lived?” One bold student raises his hand and
responds, “Twenty-two years.” This drew
a quick response from the professor, “I didn’t ask you how long you have
existed as a breathing, functioning member of the human race. I wanted you tell me how long you have been
really alive.” Continuing the lecture,
Dr. Campolo gives the students insight as to his point. He immediately relates a story concerning a
field trip he and his sixth grade class made to the Empire State Building in
New York. On the observation deck he
could see out on to the urban landscape.
At this exact moment, time stopped.
He states, “It was with a heightened awareness, a hyper-intensive
consciousness, that I held that moment far too wonderful to describe. In a mystical way, I stepped outside of
myself at that moment and reflected upon myself experiencing it.” “I do not know how long I will live,” I told
my student, “but if I were to live a million years, I would remember that moment, because I truly lived it.” “When I stop to think about it, most of my
life has been the meaningless passage of time between all too few moments when
I have really been alive.” In his
concluding remarks, Dr. Campolo gave further assessment of humanity at-large: “For, were the truth to be known, most people are born
and years later die without really having lived at all. There are those who never reflect with any intensive
awareness on any part of their lives.
They eat and sleep, they work and reproduce, and they study and
forget. They play it safe and tiptoe
through life with no aspiration other than to arrive at death safely.” However…“Every once in a while, something
happens that shakes people out of such a mundane existence and introduces them
to the ecstasy that lies waiting with hidden potential to be discovered in
everyday life.”
Okay
Phillip, you have proven to me there is a world of untapped potential and opportunity
waiting for me. How do I go out to
experience it? How do I live life to the
fullest? By no means have I cornered the market on living life to the fullest,
but I do offer several personal practices which help me to make the best of
each and every day. This is what I have
to offer:
First,
become okay with who you are by getting comfortable in your own skin. Let yourself off the hook if you feel like
the odd man out or slightly left of center.
Take it and run by creating your own special niche. You are unique. There is no one else in the world exactly
like you. Don’t try to be anybody but
who God designed you to be. People who
know me really well often say, “You have always done your own thing. It’s a little strange and odd sometimes, but
that is what draws me to you and makes me like hanging around you.” Duh!
March to the beat of a different drummer, even if that means you’re the
drummer and you’re out there all by yourself.
It’s your life…live it to the fullest.
Steve Jobs, in his 2009 Commencement Speech at Stanford University,
states,
“Your time is
limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Don’t be trapped
by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Don’t let the
noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition.
They somehow
already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is
secondary.”
In the closing scene of the re-make of Ocean’s Eleven,
the crew who performed the heist gather at the Bellagio Fountains. No words are spoken because these people have
the ability to enjoy the moment through comfortable silence, as well as to
speak volumes to one another without words.
They are comfortable in their own skin.
Second,
get out of your comfort zone by thinking outside the box. Don’t live passively by taking life at face
value as it comes your way. Knowledge is
power. Research what you see and
hear. So much of what is called rumor
gives the appearance of fact, but do not rely on other people for your information. Education is key. Read!
Go straight to the source for information. By doing so mis-information and the influence
of propaganda will diminish. In the end,
you will discover how many light-years ahead of other people you are by digging
for what you want to find out. Iron,
gold, and silver, among other “treasures” in life, are not found in its pure
form very often. You have to mine for
it. Dig for the ore. The process will take you and the ore through
the refiner’s fire to make you a better person.
Through the battle comes the victor.
Life is a process, not an end-result.
In addition, take an active role by casting a vision for your life,
setting goals, and by dreaming the impossible.
Steve Jobs is quoted again,
“Here’s to the
crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the
square holes…
the ones who see
things differently – they’re not fond of rules…
You can quote
them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them,
but the only thing
you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…
they push the
human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see
genius,
because the ones
who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world,
are the ones who
do.”
In my forty-one years on this earth, I have seen and
heard from many nay-sayers…people who don’t want me to succeed due to their
lack of drive to achieve their own goals and dreams. Many will proclaim, “There’s no money or
livelihood in what you want to do? This
other career field is where it’s at.” Find
out of what your passions are, fix your eyes upon them, and diligently pursue
them with an unrelenting fervor. In
doing so, the money and livelihood will follow.
Each one of us was created with certain gifts, skills, and abilities. We need to operate out of those assigned
blessings in order to become complete and to live out life in its fullest. Also, monitor your progress by asking, “How
are my daily thoughts and actions today helping me to achieve my goals and
plans for tomorrow?” Post your goals and
dreams in visible places throughout your residence, vehicle, and place of
employment as simple reminders of who you are and where you are headed. There will be times of discouragement. To guard against such times, listen to people
who have gone before. Since I am prone
to depression, it is an absolute necessity I find sources of inspiration and
encouragement, and to heed such motivation on a daily, often moment by moment,
basis. Growth is an inevitable outcome
of the daily toil to work out your vision.
It can be painful, but it is a process of becoming. We are not what we were anymore. Nor have we fully arrived at the utter
fruition of our life’s calling. We have
a God in heaven calling us to an unspeakable fullness and joy of living.
Finally,
surround yourself with great people.
Surround yourself with people who get life done. When I first moved here, I found a cigar shop
to frequent. To say it was all about
smoking tobacco betrays the point. I
found a group of visionaries, people whose vocabulary did not contain the word
impossible. By all accounts, these
people were out of my league. However, I
sat at their feet, figuratively speaking, and took in what they had to
offer. Slowly but surely I was able to grow
and to become more well-rounded intellectually, and was able to contribute to
the group over the course of time. Never
stop growing. Push…pull…stretch! Life and success is given to those who want
it and diligently work hard to get it.
In
conclusion, it’s not all about us. I
have to give this stuff away in order to keep it. Investing in the future, in other people, is
where the real treasure and fullness of life reside. Take someone under your wing. Disciple them. Allow them to make and learn from their own
mistakes. Most importantly, allow them
to learn how to take hold of life to make and mold it into what they want. We are mighty warriors….let us go forth and
conquer. **
**This was a speech given at the Toastmasters Club I am a member of and participate in. Enjoy!
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