Today,
I ditches class rep training (would have been my 4th time doing it) and class
to attend a talk with Pat Falvey, self made Entrepreneur,
Motivational Speaker, Leader, Adventurer, Explorer, Team trainer,
Environmentalist, Author, Photographer and Film producer. Before you read (and
listen) on, I apologise for the sub-standard sound, I recorded this using a Dictaphone
app on my Galaxy S1. The lecture halls speakers caused the echo and it is a
little glitchy at times
Arriving early I managed to get a spot up the front
were I hoped to record the talk for myself, but after hearing it I decided that
I had to share.
Pat is a very energetic speaker who talked with us
about life lessons, from growing up with his Grandmother, to his journeys in
the deserts, through the jungles and around glaciers. He shared a very moving
account of his near death expedition on Mount Everest, and his successful
expedition the next year.
To wrap up an awesome hour, he took out of his pocket,
a €20 note and asked “Who wants this?” I kind of thought that this was a strange
thing to do in a room full of students, but as a metaphorical statement, I
understood what he was getting at. After everyone put up their hand, he asked
again and again and again "Who wants this?!" When I noticed people
starting to move down the aisle to get the money, I leapt from my seat and
hopped over the desk and grabbed it. Talk about a rush!! I thought he'd pull
away at the last second. But despite being €20 richer, I learnt an invaluable
lesson: Though it might seem tough to put yourself out there in front of a room
full strangers (in this case students and teachers) with a determination and
zeal, you have so much more to gain than what you have to lose. You have to put
yourself forward in order to get what you want, even if it means exposing
yourself to a little ridicule if you fail. Nothing is ever going to get dropped
into your lap. Pat wasn’t going to give the €20 to the person whose hand went
up first! I had nothing to lose by standing up and biting, I had €20 to lose by
not, had he pulled away I still would have learnt the lesson...
Therefore:
Nothing to lose = Nothing but gain
The Earth is your backgarden, go and play!
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