If we were together in a keynote presentation setting, you might well be wondering what we did and why we did it. If you have not been in my audience, but you are interested in what drives my presentations, here are some POINTS TO PONDER.
This basic program has been developing over the past two decades or so. I have offered it to over 2,000,000 people all across North America. I have learned no two programs will contain exactly the same material because of the fluid nature of the presentation, and often I integrate various themes from the conference or convention, but all my presentations are based around these few simple ideas.
Surprise helps to set the positive tone for the presentation. The presentation usually begins at a very fast pace. I use fast talking to do two things: get attention and send the message that this program is going to be different and fun. Hopefully, that burst of energy and enthusiasm is contagious and not at all what you were expecting. By in large that opening has been successful, helping the majority of the audience decide to enjoy themselves and to "play" along with me.
Positive participation and peer pressure often "bang heads." Asking you to participate in some activities right away reinforces the "different presentation" idea and helps everyone stay focused on what is being said. Studies indicate a 30% increase in retention when a physical activity is involved. Usually, some people "jump in" and take part right away while others hold back, sit reservedly and observe. The speculation is "peer pressure" and the "fear of being tricked" holds people back from making involvement choices. The first few minutes of the presentation are designed to discuss that very issue and set an involvement tone for the rest of the experience. As the presentation progresses most people find it "okay" to join in. No matter the choice or how long it takes to decide, please notice getting involved or watching is an individual choice. Working together demonstrates that being positively involved will eventually lead to new and better life experiences.
We all talk to ourselves and what we say to ourselves is vitally important. It helps us create who we become by creating "psychofacts" (something you are convinced is the truth whether it is or not). Self-talk is normal and positive. Self-talk is vital. We explored some of the barriers to positive self-talk like: fear and socialization. In the course of the presentation did you notice how all human beings face the same degrading influences in their "en-cultureation" process, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity? Negative comments from our peers and from our loved ones lead the list. Remember, the thing that counts is not what you think they think, but rather, what they think you think. We all hear "How many times do I have to tell you?" etc. The trick is to realize "put-downs" do not represent the truth. The truth is, we are unique and special, and do not have to make these put-downs who we are we can change our self-talk.
Onboard Chip
There is inside my very head, a chip programmed by things I've said.
It records my every thought and deed and forms my every wish and need.
Habits learned and burned into my chip create what I can do.
My vision filters though a glass, made from memories of my past.
In daily choices my chip seems to limit me to my past dreams.
It blocks new things that come my way and leaves me with my yesterday.
But, at last, today I see, I am in charge of the chip in me.
And since I program that chip of mine, I can change ME anytime.
I can decide to reprogram and build a better WHO I AM.
Here's a little special tip - You too have an onboard chip.
Choose your thoughts and words with care, the future YOU building there.
We each are the sum total of the choices we make. We always have at least two choices and to decide not to choose, is to choose not to decide, and that is a choice. Choices are often hidden but always there. Sometimes just the realization that there ARE choices in every situation can help people choose better paths. Many choices were offered during the presentation. Laughing, clapping, singing, talking, listening and learning are all personal choices.
Of Decisions
One can choose TO DO a deed
and TO LIKE that doing done
or TO DO a deed and HATE that doing
but that's not really fun.
And some can choose NOT TO DO the thing
and TO LIKE that choice they say
while others choose NOT TO DO the thing
and NOT TO LIKE it "that a way."
So from the four, we each must choose
as down life's path we go
TO DO or NOT, TO LIKE or NOT
as by now I'm sure you know.
Do yourself a favor here
CHOOSE from the LIKING two
CHOOSE "DO" or "DON'T" but LIKE the CHOICE
you know IT'S UP TO YOU
And so with your CHOICES thus defined
Your task is simplified
But Deciding not to CHOOSE my friend
is clearly to decide
So make the best of what you CHOOSE
the CHOICE to you must fall
Best of luck in what YOU DO
YOU have the FINAL CALL!
We are creatures of habit and habits are changeable. Making good choices is what successful life is about because those choices become our habits. I often use an old Psychology 101 exercise involving the overlapping of thumbs and the crossing of arms to point this out. Personal reactions to outside stimuli are basically habitual. There is great wisdom in the ancient adage "Be careful of your words because your words become your thoughts; mind your thoughts because they become your actions. Be careful of your actions because they become your habits and your habits create your character. Remember that your character determines your destiny." Smiling and looking for positive solutions instead of problems are the kinds of habits which lift people up. This is not "Pollyanna." It is good sense. It is generally accepted that it takes 21 days to make a new habit or break an old one. Positive habits like smiling and looking for the best in everyone can make a life time of difference.
Smile
I know it isn't easy when things look bleak and dark
to curl your lips and tell your eyes it's time for them to SPARK!
But SMILING on the outside will warm your inside so
Your SMILE will make another smile and then two smiles will glow.
So through life's daily ups and downs show forth a smiling face.
Just SMILE and pass it warmly on, you'll make a better place.
Today I'll do those countless things that others will not do
So that tomorrow I can choose from things they can not do
You see, I am the only me there is and now what I must do
Is be the best ME I can be by what I choose to do.
Changing HAVE TO's into GET TO's is what smiles are all about.
Choosing what the future holds by how WE work things out!
Seldom do we have a choice in what life sends our way,
But what we choose to see in it, now there we have a say.
When life is getting tedious and your futures' looking dark,
Give your attitude a jolt, aim for a higher mark.
Instead of, "Oh, I have to" say "Look what I can do!"
We are all afraid of the same things: being laughed at, looking dumb, and failing. But "laughed at" and "looking dumb" are all those "I think they think" things that should not count for much, and failing is how we learn. Remember that human beings "can be tricked" and can make a mistake but the lessons offered in failing help each of us build a better life.
Failing
Failing is an acronym
for life and learning - both
It's Finding An Important Lesson
Inviting Needed Growth
So set out in life my friend
to see what you can learn
For the timid soul so seldom gets
what the bolder soul doth earn
By fearing NOT the "slings and arrows"
of fortune in Outrage
and bravely stepping out in life
to turn another page.
By boldly going where few have gone
with head held high and straight
To face their fears and learn new things
while the TIMID sit and wait.
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is moving through the fear to a better place. Yes, it is okay to be afraid, but not OK to let fear keep us from acting positively. Fear often causes us to remain stagnant or to settle for less than our personal best. In the beginning of the presentation, those who risked the fear of rejection tied to the peer pressure to not get involved, noticed the fun of involvement outweighed the fear of being laughed at. Then more and more people overcame their "fear" and soon, the peer pressure was TO GET INVOLVED. Your involvement, no matter how great or small coupled with the fact you are reading this, must indicate the power of reaching for something more than just a "good enough" experience.
Good Enough
All to often "good enough" is where the "weaker's" stop.
It keeps the very best in them from rising to the top.
"Enough" implies just getting by and "good" falls short of best.
So "good enough" is average stuff and seldom meets the test.
But you don't have to settle there. You have what it takes
Push your self to do your best, its how you get the "breaks."
Remember that the choice is yours and you alone choose either
but those who win are those who know that "good enough" is neither!
Attitude determines outcome more than any other personal trait. Developing a positive attitude is accomplished by putting aside the "psychofacts" and believing in our abilities. I believe the greatest discovery of the 20th century was that human beings can control their own attitudes and help to guide their destinies by the choices they make.
Can't YET!
"I Can't" is not a phrase for me.
It's not the goal that I will see
for I determine what will be.
If I by accident forget
and say "I can't" then it's a bet
that I will quickly add a YET!
There's nothing here that I CAN'T do.
I know my dreams can all come true.
"CAN'T YET" IS WHAT I CHOOSE TO DO!
Yes, bad things happen to good people, even to positive people. Life's not always just nor fair but the most important component of self-actualization is the understanding that "it is not what happens to you but how you react to it that determines the outcome." When life hands us a challenge, how we respond will determine our future. There are countless stories of people just like you and me overcoming adversity. I select one from many I have heard and seen and usually tell it in the presentation to emphasize the importance of a positive ATTITUDE.
Life's Not Always Just Nor Fair
Now here's a little truth I'll share, "Life's not always just nor fair."
You'll have your ups and downs, that's true, but staying down is up to you.
So if you're knocked about a bit, stumble and fall but never quit.
Stand back up that's what you do 'cause staying down is up to you.
Face the forces of despair and smile them down without a care.
You are in charge there is no doubt, success is how YOU work things out.
So "fair" or "not" is not the fret. It's what you do with what you get.
The message here is always true, "It's not what happens. It's what you do."
All human beings are unique, special, important and 100% responsible for their own behaviors. Blame-fixing is a waste of time. To be involved or not, we each have the responsibility for the choice. It is a waste of time and foolishness to blame other people or "things" for our circumstances. The good news about responsibility is that when we take it, we also get the credit when things go right.
Blaming
Pointing the finger of blame requires the curling back of three.
It's natures way of pointing out the blame must rest with me.
Now that is not a bad thing as you can plainly see.
For if the blame is mine alone so must the credit be.
It's action that counts. One of the most significant realizations for many in the audience is that ACTIONS are more important than words. We probably used involvement activities to make that point. There are two important abilities to cultivate - dependability and responsibility. The backbone of those two abilities is the act of "doing what you say you'll do."
Number One Rule for Success
When Life seems like a minefield, choices full of do's and don'ts;
punctuated now and then with various wills and won'ts;
and you are looking for THE ANSWER, 'cause you know it's up to you.
It isn't always easy, it might hurt a time or two
but it's really very simple. Do what you say you'll do.
Be the best YOU there is, not the best there is. You are not alone in this effort to be the BEST YOU. You have friends and mentors to help guide you to that end and you have a spiritual side. Examining an inner spiritual side could be a very important part of helping each of us become the best we can. The total person must evaluate all aspects of life and make choices. Develop your spiritual side as well. To that end I close most presentations with a recitation of a rhyme I wrote for my son.
Casey's Prayer
Thank you, God, for this great day and all the things that came my way.
And with tomorrow's coming light help me to always do what's right.
Please help me walk in happy shoes and learn from every path I choose.
The lessons that are there for me to be the best me I can be.
So when I lay me down to rest, we'll know I've done my very best.
Finally, laughter is very important to our success and is best when directed at ourselves. Most of the humor in this presentation is aimed at each of us for the things we do and say and the situations we find ourselves in as human beings. It is OK to laugh at ourselves. Laugh and learn. It helps the time fly and the messages stick.
In the business of speaking, it is not always possible to hit all of these points. Given enough time and a positive setting I have covered most of them. As you know, not everyone will get every point. We have only a short amount of time together and the particulars of what I do will be forgotten in a week to ten days, but the processing or thinking about the ideas covered here, will last a lifetime. Hopefully, this explanation and these little rhymes will help you revisit them from time to time. For more rhymes go www.DifferenceMakers.com/rhymes. If you to really take charge of your onboard chip, get yourself a DifferenceMaker Calendar/Planner and use it.
If I can help, either personally or professionally, please let me know. Life is full of choices. Thank you for choosing to spend some time with me.
Make it a fantastic day!
Mike
Processing Questions
Dear Educator:
As with any presentation the real value of any experience to the student comes when the professional educator works to help them achieve "understanding." The following questions are designed to help move the "data" of Mike's presentation to "information." Thank you for your help.
Processing Questions:
What do you remember most about the time with Mike? Why?
Was the presentation what you expected?
Was there a message to his "madness?" Which one did you get?
Why do you think he had you clap and move around so much?
If you have seen him before, did you get anything different this time?
Why does he use rhymes?
Why smile for 21 days?
Why talk fast?
What did Mike see as your primary responsibility? Agree or disagree?
