Yesterday I attended the Get Motivated! seminar in downtown Cleveland with some colleagues from the office. For those unfamiliar with the event, it’s basically a traveling road show of notable speakers, who touch on multiple topics designed to inspire, entertain, and enlighten. The lineup changes periodically, but the presenters yesterday included Lou Holtz, Colin Powell, and Bill Cosby. I’m not sure what I was expecting going into it, but I came away pleasantly surprised. There was a little too much of the sales pitch (a $2000 class, basically on how to get rich quick, only $49 if you buy NOW!), but if you understand that that’s part of the bargain when it comes to most seminars and don’t get too hung up on it, then it’s not so bad. All in all, I rather enjoyed most of it, and feel a little more motivated to continue to better myself. I hope it lasts. Anyways, some of my highlights:
One of the first speakers was Lou Holtz. He was very down-to-earth, and had a good sense of humor. Some of his main points focused on attitude, having goals/dreams, and being excited about what you do. He closed with three bullets: 1) Do right, 2) Do everything to the best of your ability, and 3) Always show people you care.
Goldie Hawn spoke to the idea of happiness. Some of it was kind of cliché, like money and fame don’t make you happy, it’s you that makes you happy. I did like her point about how technology is stealing our intimacy (which is why I started this blog… what, you think that’s a contradiction? At least I’m not on Facebook :)). She also spoke of being family-f0cused and having a sense of gratitude.
Colin Powell delivered a bang-up speech on leadership, which frankly, I hope some of our office leaders were listening to, very carefully. He mentioned that to be a good leader, you have to give the people who follow you a sense of purpose. Basically, they’ll follow you anywhere if they trust you and feel that they serve a purpose. Leadership should be based on followership and selflessness, while still being tough.
Finally, Bill Cosby talked about having a sense of responsibility, something too many people lack. His main point, in a nutshell, was, if you want something done (or to improve your situation, etc.), do it YOURSELF. Don’t sit around moping and waiting for someone else (family, a neighbor, government) to take care of you – you are responsible for you, no one else. Amen, brother.
There were several other speakers, most of whom had some decent takeaway points – I also really enjoyed Krish Dhanam, who I had not heard of prior to this event. I guess I’d recommend it to someone else, as long as you don’t get too worked up about the many sales pitches.
Are you feeling motivated today?
Leave a Reply