I ended April 2015 having done my first ever TEDx talk. As a speaker TED (Technology, Education and Design) with the by-line ideas worth spreading is a pinnacle platform. TED is like the Olympics, with TEDx a world championship, the x meaning it’s an independently run event. It’s a gathering of people who are simply ‘curious’ and stories of awesomeness are conveyed from everyone from community leaders, through to adrenalin junkies, through to innovators who are significantly contributing toward the lives of many.
For me as a speaker I was positively challenged to convey something new, based around why I do what I do. Broadly speaking the idea was, that “small words, inspire big actions”.
We as a society put much focus on being kind with what we say, be inspiring and indeed be awesome but what does it take to attract simple words that inspire big action?
- Passion – Be so passionate about what you do that you want to tell the world .
- Be gooder than good, greater than great – There is a reason for the Olympic Games, Hall of fames and other accreditations, they don't exist for the elite, they exist for the dreamers, darers and developers who showcase what is possible.
- Live for a purpose bigger than yourself – because our success is not determined by what we achieve individually but how we learn from our experiences to move, connect and inspire the lives of others.
- Celebrate what makes you different – difference is a good thing, the people who count in this world look for those who are different.
- Don’t worry if you don't know who you want to be – think about what you want to do. If, as a kid, I’d said I wanted to be an athlete and speaker, I would have been up against all sorts of barriers mainly created by myself, but when I said I want to travel, entertain and connect, I open myself up to all the inspiration that surrounds us all.
Whenever you have a spare 18 minutes (the length of a TED talk), www.ted.com is a truly awesome website to check out.
As I write this I’m in San Francisco staying in a house filled with M.I.T inspired minds. Their thoughts provide stimulation beyond what I’ve ever felt before, I’m asking why I’m here, I’m here because of the above points that not only attract simple words that inspire great action but that also uncover who you can truly be.
