“The Trip that Changed my Life” Part 2

On part 1 of this journey that really changed my life, I pretty much described the primary events that took place prior to the beginning of the trip itself, and ended with me safely arriving at the Gatwick International Airport in London, England. I remembered that day very clearly, as if it was today; as the plane taxied along the runway to go and finally parked in one of the gates, I could see the steady rain falling, it was more like a drizzle, very fine but constant as if it wasn’t planning on stopping soon. Little did I know then, that the United Kingdom had a very unique weather pattern, because it rains very very very frequently, to say the least and I certainly was not accustomed to walk in the rain almost all the time. Indeed, one of the very first things I had to learn, being a guest in a new country and a completely new culture, was the wonderful quality of “adaptability”. Why do I say “wonderful quality”, and my answer is very simple, if you are ever planning on travelling to a place very far from your place of origin (also known as your birthplace), and staying in that new place longer than a couple of weeks, then start thinking quite seriously on changing your way of life, because I can say this without equivocation, “your life will definitely change”.

Inflexibility to your new environment will cause you unwanted heartaches and headaches, and each day will just seem harder than the one before it.  I spent my very first night in a nice hotel in the center of London, and what a great experience that was, greater than great, it was “SPECTACULAR”. Please, remember that as a native of Buenos Aires, I had never been outside of Argentina, let alone Europe, and being alone in the middle of London, I thought whether that was for real or perhaps I was dreaming, being awake!!! Yes, I know that I started my world exploration a bit late in life, others begin their adventures at a younger age, but I did not care about that, and what impacted me the most was that at the time I was experiencing new feelings and emotions. A completely new sense of my own freedom, nothing was holding me back, I could go anywhere I wanted, a truly fantastic feeling of discovery of the unknown to me. For the very first time, I got a taste of what a bird outside of his cage feels like, free to fly anywhere, the sky is the limit……………….yessssssssss, and even beyond the sky.

London is a fabulous city, a very dynamic place with plenty to see, the charming of the old London with the newer parts makes it such a beautiful combination. The theater district, Piccadilly Circus, restaurants of any kind, the famous “Pubs” with infinite variety of beers. I had many opportunities to come back to London to do more sightseeing, never got tired to explore that city.

Then, after a very good and relaxed first night, the next day I was en route to Bournemouth, a very quaint small town in the south of England, where I was going to stay with an English family while attending classes at the language school. It was here that my deep cultural journey started, and what a journey that was; however, you will have to wait until part 3 to find out…………..be patient, and we shall meet again real soon!!!

Speak for Joy and without Fear!!!

What a fantastic act of freedom and bravery at the same time!!! Jumping across a significantly wide chasm, but the person in this picture seems to be quite joyful and determined to cross it. For a great number of people, just the idea of standing in front of an audience (no matter how small or large the audience), is an experience which certainly comes as close to dying as nothing else does. However, for others the opportunity of sharing thoughts and ideas with a multitude is the thrill of a lifetime which does not have an equal. What a radical difference of positions between the two groups described above, and the question is WHY??? I believe the answer is quite simple, and it begins with a basic lack of understanding of the true purpose of public speaking; basically what a person, as a speaker, can bring to the audience and finally what the listeners expect from you, the presenter.

Many people have paralyzing fears if they were to give a presentation, because they think in their minds that the audience is there watching every movement, paying close attention to every single word uttered, so they can give you an “Fail” grade instead of a “Pass”. This is definitely not the case, and people who come to listen to a public speaker, want their success. They are interested in the topic you are presenting. They are there to support you, and always remember that any audience will be on your side.

As you understand this simple and very important concept, your public speaking experience will quickly change from being a terrorizing event to one of real Joy!!!

“The Trip That Changed My Life”, Part 1

The month was June, the year 1978, I remember that morning very vividly, as if it happened yesterday, I woke up and went to the kitchen to grab a cup of strong coffee. My mother was preparing some breakfast, and as I was tasting my coffee, she threw a question at me in the most direct manner, something I was not expecting at that early hour of the day. She asked, “Alejandro, would you like to go to England?”; at that moment, I needed to gulp more coffee in order to get my brain in gear, then quickly digest the question once again, to make sure I heard it correctly, and of course, give an answer back. Finally, I responded in a timid voice, “England?????? but, you know Mom, England is not around the corner, it is a pretty long way from here!!!” Now, why are you asking me this kind of strange question Mom?? Why do you want me to go to England? Am I mis-behaving that much? No, no, your uncle Albert called me and said he wanted to offer you the opportunity of traveling to England, to complete a three months intensive English program, so you could improve the language. During your stay, you will be living with an English family, so you are surrounded with every possible chance to practice, and to become fluent in it. After having a conversation with my uncle, and fully understanding the extent of his offer (which, by the way, was a fantastic opportunity, though I was scared of the unknown). For all the readers out there, let me make it clear that for me, at that point in my life, this offer, though exciting, it certainly was a major undertaking, with possibilities that things could go wrong. However, I finally decided to accept the offer, and go for the adventure of my life!!! Five weeks later, as if by magic, I was standing in one of the huge terminals at the International Airport in Buenos Aires, in order to take my flight to Gatwick International Airport, just outside London. What a wonderful first experience, to spend almost 18 hours inside of a big plane, mostly crossing the Atlantic Ocean, on my way to a great European city. Please, fasten your seat belts, relax, and be patient because there is more coming in Part 2.

Powerful Lessons Learned…………!!!

This morning I felt very much pumped up with lots of energy and a renewed determination to motivate and inspire others to stay the course with firmness, and to help bring clarity and focus to the lives of some people, who are struggling with confusion and uncertainty in these volatile times that we are currently living. This includes the younger generation ready to graduate from High School, or even those already in College who are seeing a kind of bleak landscape ahead of them.

I would like to bring good news to all of you, and this was very much influenced by a movie that I watched at home this past weekend, titled “Saving Private Ryan”. I am sure that most of you have probably seen this movie, when it first came out in the theaters, but in my case, Saturday was my very first time. What a profound impact the story portrayed in the movie made on me, and now, I would like to bring up some of the important lessons we can learn from this:

1.- Never quit. Quitting is totally unacceptable under all circumstances, even when confronted with extreme danger, we need to keep going if we want to achieve our purpose in life. We all want and sometimes “expect” that each day will be peachy in color, easy going, without any problems or obstacles to avoid or get over, but unfortunately, this is not the true reality of our lives. “Life” itself has a mind of its own, and sometimes it throws nasty lemons at us. Then, when that happens, we have two options, the first is to become angry, bitter, start complaining and blaming everyone and everything around us for our misery. The second option, is to make lemonade with those lemons, and enjoy its fresh sweetness. This brings me to the second lesson, which is:

2.- Attitude, you see, “the way we look at things is exactly the way things really are to us”, and this is a very important concept we must keep in mind. If an adverse situation crosses our pathway, a good and positive attitude will direct us to look at this adversity and develop an appropriate plan to counteract it and solve it. We may be able to solve it ourselves, or we may need the help of others, but in either case, a good attitude will definitely help us in moving forward and closer to our goal.

3.- We have the potential and the ability within us, to impact and make a remarkable difference in someone else’s life. If we have a strong determination to achieve a particular mission in life, to follow a certain calling, to feel passionate about helping others accomplish success in their lives, then we can do it, no matter how difficult the process could be, or how long it may take, or perhaps we may not see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we actively persevere with hope, faith, and a positive mental attitude till the end, not only will we see success achieved in the lives of those under our motivational influence, but we will also experience a deep internal feeling of satisfaction for a mission completed successfully!!!

Hello World and Happy New Year 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I know that this is a bit too ambitious to try to reach the whole World during my first post of this new blog that I am just starting, but give me some time and with enough patience and constant dedication, I will try to reach as many people as possible. Why? you may ask; well, the reason is quite simple, this blog’s main theme is “Connections and Speaking”, and therefore, the more connections are created the better we all will feel. I certainly will feel GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! My main desire through this vehicle is to form and establish rich connections with people, especially from an inspirational and motivational perspective.

I am a motivational public speaker, who for some years now has developed a true passion for speaking and connecting energetically and passionately with all kinds of audiences, making a positive impact on people.  ”Everybody has a mouth and a heart, but not everybody is able to speak from the heart”, but that is the only way that true enriching and uplifting communication is established. It brings me tremendous joy to share this with all of you, and many more posts coming shortly. Stay tuned!!!

Alejandro