Are you serious Yoda? This morning I couldn’t find my left sock or my right pant leg.
Ok, some people know what their passion is, others, have no idea. Some have found it and some never will. You are one of those people who have found it or who will find it. Trust me.
Here’s a shocker, it’s possible to have more than one passion.
Here’s the advice, don’t try to shove it all in one box or choose just one.
People feel the need to either; package all of their passions together or choose between them. “I like working with people BUT I also really like bottle-feeding Sea Elephants so I don’t know what to do.” Read the rest of this entry »
Forget about Heroes, Spiderman, the Dark Knight and any other costume wearing characters.
Terry Fox.
Those two words are enough to make my chest burn and give me goosebumps. He is a real-life super hero.
When I am speaking with young people, I am constantly getting them to make 4 decisions. The two hardest decisions to make are; decide what you want to do and who you want to be.
Many times, who you are is based on what you do.
I was going to write a huge blog entry about how to leave your mark and do extraordinary things. I was going to write about the things we can learn from Terry Fox but this video does it for me.
Take 8 minutes to watch this video. I give you permission to do it at school, at your office or while your girlfrend is trying to talk to you.
What will you do? And more importantly, who will you be?
Alright, alright we all saw it. Kanye West did what? Again? To who? What a jerk! Right?
I agree with most of you. Punking a sweet girl like Taylor Swift and robbing her of her once-in-a-lifetime moment on national TV in front of millions of people was pretty uncool. To quote Ye, “How could you be so heartless?”
So now that I have that out of the way, it’s time for me to talk about the other side of the story, the side where Kanye felt passionately about sticking up for and speaking out for a good friend of his. (Don’t get it twisted, I don’t agree with the WAY he did it.) Read the rest of this entry »
So Neo didn’t have the best advice in part one. In fact, I am still not too sure what he was talking about.
Here’s Part II, enjoy!
PART TWO
Decision 2: Decide where you will go.
When I talk about the school year, I am not only talking about the time you are in the classroom. I am talking about from the first day of school until your last day of exams. This includes your weekends, evenings and holidays.
Where do you want to go this year?
Think about taking a road trip with some of your best friends. Maybe you could take a graduation trip to Europe or a spring break trip to a different city nearby. Why don’t you jump on the bus and go visit your grandparents in Chicago or uncle in Seattle. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s never fun saying good-bye to summer. You had a great time. Maybe you went to the cottage, or maybe you traveled abroad. You probably had a family BBQ where you had to tell your grandma that you actually liked her potato salad even though she mistook onions for potatoes and mothballs for eggs.
Whatever you did this summer, chances are, it was a good one. Summer usually is.
That brings us here. September. Not only is it the month that Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Hilary Duff, Keanu Reeves and Dr. Phil were born in, it’s usually the month that school starts.
We all know Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix Trilogy and since he was born in the month that school starts, I decided to ask Neo if he had any advice for this upcoming year.
Random Rhino fact #319: Rhinos can only move forward.
Now with that out of the way, here’s Part 2 of my interview with me.
How can I get started as a Youth Speaker?
Step one: Be real. Don’t try to be someone your not. Tell your own stories and share your own experiences.
Step two: Define your message. What will you speak about? Do you have experience overcoming obstacles? Are you awesome at setting and achieving goals? Are you passionate about equality? Whatever it is, figure it out and start spreading that message. Everywhere and anywhere at the beginning, get your message polished and ready for the big leagues.
When you were a kid, how did you answer the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
I remember thinking becoming an actual animal was a completely viable option. People would ask me, “Ryan what do you want to be when you grow up?” Fully expecting me to say “a police officer” or “an astronaut”. My answer surprised them every time.
“A rhinoceros.”
The person asking the question would then slowly look up at my parents who were obviously smiling ear-to-ear, and ask why I wasn’t wearing a helmet.
I could never have guessed as a kid, that I would be doing what I get to do for a living.
People like to call me a “Youth Motivational Speaker”. I don’t really like being put in that category because people then assume I walk around all day saying things like “you can do it!” or “just think positive thoughts!”
I am a person who has had some crazy experiences. I live the life I want to live and do the stuff I want to do and I want everyone to have the same freedom that I feel I have. That’s why I do what I do. I think everyone has the right and responsibility to do whatever they want (as long as it’s legal and doesn’t hurt anyone).
I get emailed questions A LOT. One of the most common questions is, “how can I do what you do?” Read the rest of this entry »
Alright already! I have been getting a bunch of emails asking me to post the piece I wrote about Oprah-itis. So here it is in its literary glory.
Ok, let’s get one thing straight, I love Oprah. Don’t worry Stedman I don’t love her like that. She’s all yours. What I love is the fact that she’s created this huge empire off of helping people! She gives stuff away, she gives people makeovers, she cleans people’s houses, she builds schools in Africa, she grants wishes, she sends cupcakes to people and she gets other people involved and shows them how they can do it for themselves. She’s a huge example of how helping people, even in the easiest ways, can literally change the world. Plus, she likes to Skype. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the best parts about traveling across the continent speaking to tens of thousands of students is getting to meet the other awesome speakers.
A good speaker friend of mine, Grant Baldwin, is the Master Jedi of showing young people how to make, save and invest their money. He’s even showing teens how to go to college for FREE! I reached out to Grant to help you figure out to do with all the cash you are making at your new part-time job!
Here’s what he had to say:
So you landed that part-time dream job huh? The gig fits within your schedule, you get to work with friends, they pay you in a real currency (not Monopoly money), and you’re not having to scrub toilets with your toothbrush. Pretty cool…congrats! But we all know the fun part isn’t the work. Sure, it’s not a bad job, but you’re not working for free. You’re working to get paid…can I get an AMEN?!Read the rest of this entry »
Maybe you don’t actually dream about a part-time job (some of you might actually have nightmares about it) but you need to stop asking your mommy for money. Yes, she loves you, she has to but you’re too old for that (money not love). Besides, a part-time job is almost as good for you as carrots.
Why?
A part-time job is a perfect way for you to learn how businesses work. You’ll have the chance to learn about yourself, other people and how they interact with each other and most importantly, you’ll get to make some money.
