A couple of weeks ago at my company's national sales meeting, Lou Holtz was our featured speaker. Despite his stuttering and spitting problems, he was wise, funny, and inspiring. Contrast him with another motivational speaker I saw the previous year who had climbed Mt Everest. His story entailed how he wanted to climb Mt Everest just for the hell of it - causing 2 of his best friends and numerous Sherpas to fall to their doom. The more he spoke, the more he made an ass of himself - not to mention he was British. Very un-inspirational. Who are some inspirational/motivational speakers you have seen and found interesting and good (not the fake ones selling real estate)
Only when something good comes out of them, of course. I'm not real big on the motivational guys, but I like the new agey and more spiritual speakers like Wayne Dyer.
Spoiler Seriously, we had a Vietnam Vet come to our school when I was in high school. It changed my life. As a dumb HS student, he really made me realize that war was REAL - not just a subject of a movie or a video game. He told a lot of amazing stories. Stories that made me appreciate how EASY my life had been up to that point... and in comparison, how easy it is today.
We just had Commander Scott Waddle. He was the Captain of the US nuclear sub USS Greenville that wrecked into the Japanese fishing boat in 2001. He was good. I'd definitely recommend him.
Did he tell you about the one thing that will absolutely ruin your life which you must avoid: Spoiler Getting Married
It has to be Todd Conner, if you have a trust problem with others his motivation will inspire you to be more trusting <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xIweDn-QAso"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xIweDn-QAso" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
I guy I grew up with survived being shot in the head during a robbery while we were students at UT-Austin. He is partially paralyzed on his right side. He went on to complete his college education. He married his girlfriend at the time of the shooting and they have a teenage daughter. He works as a social worker at a hospital in the Medical Center. His story is inspirational for many of us who grew up with him, including me. He occasionally does gigs as a motivational speaker, telling his story of survival and overcoming incredible obstacles. I sat in on one of his motivational speaking gigs about 4 years ago. It made him even more of an inspiration to me. The guy is phenominal.
When I was in High School I worked at Hardee's with a guy in his 30's. He was in Vietnam Vet and after the war came home and got drunk and walked into a convience store where everyone knew him with a loaded shotgun and robbed it. He spent some time in jail and after he got out could not find a better job then flipping burgers. He told alot of interesting Vietnam/Prison stories -- especially to a nieve 16 yr old from a small town --- but mostly he inspired me to keep my life straight so 20yrs later I wouldn't still be flipping burgers. So I guess he was the most influential "motivational" speaker I heard.
Lance Armstrong last year at Nortel's National Sales Conference I have seen several others, but none as good as Lance.
I think he's a crook who makes money off of Jesus, and I think his wife is a hystrionic b**** who treats flight attendants and other working people like crap.
