Lessons Learned: Inspirational Speeches

How do you get inspired? Is there someone or something you think of to motivate you to be the best that you can be? Do you watch inspirational videos like Kid President or motivational speeches from movies? Here are a few great inspirational speeches and what we can learn from them:
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (Disclaimer: Contains explicit language):

• Treat one another like family.
• Learn from your mistakes and share with your team/family.
• Life’s a game of inches.
  • Margin for error is small, but you should learn from those errors.
  • Inches and opportunities are everywhere; we just need to know where to look, or how to make those opportunities.
  • Work hard for those inches. All those inches make the difference.
  • How hard are you willing to work for that inch?
  • Can’t make others do it.
    • Will your team “go that inch with you? Will they sacrifice themselves for this team, because they know when it comes down to it, that you’ll do the same for them.”

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

• Never let someone tell you that you can’t do something
• Dream
• Just because others can’t, doesn’t mean that you can’t
• If you want something, go get it. Period.

COACH CARTER

• We are powerful beyond measure
• Playing small does not serve the world
• Don’t shrink so other’s won’t feel insecure around you
• Greatness is in everyone
• As we let our own light shine, we give others permission to do the same

ROCKY

• You may not realize it, but you give others “motivization”
• Hear the whisper in your ear to keep going

ROCKY BALBOA

• The world can be  a mean and nasty place
• Go out and get what you’re worth
• Take responsibility for yourself

RAY LEWIS MADDEN ’13 COMMERCIAL

• Sweat is necessary
• Never be comfortable with just good enough
• No one can replace your mind and heart
• You’re going to get older. Use your wisdom and understanding to create your legacy every second of your life
• How will you be remembered?
• Leave your mark!

We all need to be inspired. Some of us get inspiration from within, and others get inspiration from external forces like family and friends. And sometimes our sources of inspiration vary and come from both. Either way, it is important to know what inspires us so that we can use it during tough times.

I went to a program run by a student at my institution last week. The student is trying to become a motivational speaker, so naturally the program was about motivation. I was planning on stopping in for a few minutes to show support, but it was so engaging that I stayed the entire time. At the end of the program, we all got a balloon that had a quote on it. I’d like to share mine with you:

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking”

Lessons Learned: Kid President Edition

 

I realize this video is a few weeks old at this point, but it is still an amazing video. Therefore, this post will be focused on what we can learn from Kid President!

• Stop being boring; be awesome instead! Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through with whatever you are doing. I used to be so focused on being proper and polite that I would often not open my mouth during meetings. However, I have recently started to let my personality come through, and it has had nothing but positive impacts (plus is helps to build my confidence so I feel more comfortable sharing my thoughts and ideas). Although maybe it only works for me because I AM awesome! (disclaimer: Results may vary. If you are not awesome, do not show your personality, as you may be unsuccessful. NewSAProfessionals does not guarantee that others will find your personality awesome [although more than likely they will]).

• Don’t be afraid to alter quotes for comedic value! “Like that dude Journey said, ‘don’t stop believing, unless your dream is stupid. Then you should get a better dream!'” It can be used strategically to break the ice between some serious conversation and have people let down their guard a little bit. Just make sure they recognize the reference, because otherwise they may not get the joke and just be sitting there confused trying to figure out why you would say such a thing.

• Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. Kid President says, “I don’t know everything, I’m just a kid. But I do know this. It’s everybody’s duty to give the world a reason to dance!” He adds a little bit of humor and inspiration with the line about giving the world a reason to dance. But in reality, you should never be afraid to say that you don’t know something. It’s much better than making up something that is wrong on the spot. It also gives you the opportunity to actually go and figure it out later, and bring the new information back to the group, which can help to build trustworthiness (as long as you actually do it, and don’t just forget about it).

• Give the world a reason to dance! I find that we really don’t celebrate things enough. We should be celebrating everything from minor successes (two students attending a program…who cares? As long as those two students took something away, then we should celebrate! I would bring out the champagne bottles. But if we’re at a program, we should probably fill it with juice instead of alcohol).

• Let people know when they encourage and inspire you. Whether it’s a friend, a coworker, a student, etc.  Just as people don’t celebrate enough, we often don’t give credit to others enough either. Especially when we are letting people know how much of an impact they have on us. As a certain Mr. Kanye West says on his song Big Brother, “If you admire somebody, you should go ahead tell ’em/People never get the flowers while they can still smell ’em”

What are some ways that you can incorporate some of Kid President’s lessons into your everyday interactions at work and with students?

Create something that will make the world awesome. Play Ball!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Not Cool Robert Frost!