Finding Your Niche While Giving Back

Last Friday, my brother and I keynoted a presentation at Harborside Middle School to the entire sixth grade class. It was about 200 students. The unique thing about this presentation was that we rallied a tennis ball continuously for about an hour while we spoke, polled the audience with questions and answers, without missing the ball mind you. It was certainly an exciting experience for us and the kids.

What was most inspirational for me was when I first asked the audience what types of dreams or goals they have because I had said, "Don't ever let someone say you can't accomplish something." There was one girl, this sixth grader named Caitlyn, who was the first to raise her hand. She proclaimed that she was raising money for an animal shelter with her friend. She has raised $120.00 so far and needed $80.00 more. Her goal was $200.00.

So, I told everyone, "Let's give Caitlyn a round of applause!" I shook her hand and introduced myself again and said to her, "Well, Caitlyn, because you had the courage to share with everyone your goal, I bet that you'll be able to raise that extra $80.00 for that shelter. Matter of fact, I will commit $80.00 to you if you commit to me that you will continue to raise money for the shelter." We shook on it and made a deal and all of the teachers and students applauded.

That's how the next fifteen minutes went, where everyone was sharing their goals and dreams about a Nobel Peace prize or a writers' awards or getting into Harvard or Yale or developing a cure for cancer. So, it was just an exciting day to see some of the minds of our future thinking about others before themselves and also having the courage to announce their dreams and goals, sometimes just as they were formulating them. They say that there's nothing wrong with reaching for the stars, worse case scenario, you bring down a piece of the moon. My brother and I would like to take this keynote on a road trip to a lot of schools to really encourage children to have goals and to accomplish them.

I encouraged the sixth grade teachers at Harborside Middle School to put up some type of dream board or goal board for their students so that they can follow-up on the next steps of their goal. I define "goals" as G: Grand, O: Optimistic, A: Achievable, L: Long term and S: Short term.

They say that life is not worth living if you don't allow yourself to dream. Keep your dreams high, keep shooting for the stars and you will find success.