A couple of months ago I had the honour of being asked to deliver a TEDx talk in Melbourne.
Being relatively new to the speaking circuit I was incredibly humbled, and terrified, by this unique opportunity.
Naturally I went to work trying to find that one single ‘idea’ that I believed would be worth spreading. I am currently writing a book called Gifts in Shitty Wrapping Paper.
The title is a metaphor for our greatest challenges being our biggest gifts….if we know how to use them. I knew that this concept was too big so I set about stripping away the layers.
I desperately wanted to use my 20 years of experience working with people in crisis; drawing on what the multitudes have taught me.
As a public speaker I have been asked, many times, to talk on Resilience. I reflected on this concept and the penny dropped.
Resilience is not what is lacking in our society and yet it is the backbone of all self-development that is taught to our young people and adults struggling.
I thought about overcoming adversity and how we can turn these in to our greatest assets. While exploring great leaders of the world such as Mandela, Luther-King, Obama, Oprah and the likes I came to realise they all had one thing in common.
They’d all accepted their experiences, as traumatic as they may be and had used them, to not only better themselves but to serve the greater good.
Acceptance is the missing link, and the lack of it in individuals and our society is the greatest cause of discontent and unhappiness.
Acceptance is the fundamental driver of any forward movement. Our children don’t tantrum because they lack resilience.
They tantrum because they are unable to accept a situation, person, place or thing. The same applies to us.
The TEDx experience was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I hope it provides you with a different perspective that is of benefit in some way.
