What does it take to be a Hero
well hello there
uh can you hear me can you see me okay
great
i tell you we’re we’re in this new
season of
open and uh we’re having to all learn
how to use technology differently so
uh so it’s a joy to be here with you
both
uh good evening to all of the uh
students and and to the leadership let
me just first say
thank you to the dubai gym private
school leadership and all of you
uh for welcoming me welcoming me as a
guest speaker
for today’s tedx youth talk on the theme
not all heroes wear capes i tell you i
love your theme it’s such a
it’s such an inspiring uh theme during
the times that we’re living in so
let me thank you all for inviting me to
be a part of this wonderful
uh uh conference and certainly let me
say
uh to the previous speaker i think it’s
kiara or kira
did i say it right what a great speech
you gave my dear you are
uh certainly a rising star and uh what
are
great words that you shared and to the
young lady who sang earlier
as a as an artist in the united states i
certainly want to applaud
another artist across the world and what
a great job you did sweetheart
in performing uh again it’s great to be
here with you and great to
to spend a little time to talk with you
about
the theme of your conference uh about
heroes
uh you know what is the definition of a
hero miriam webster dictionary says that
a hero
is a person who is admired for
achievements
and noble qualities a person who
shows great courage uh an illustrious
warrior as
as the definition says the central
figure
in an event or period or movement
and across the world you know and
throughout history we find
stories of heroes some are certainly
applauded publicly and and we know their
accomplishments well
these persons are leaders of nations
great generals and battles
inspiring leaders of civil movements uh
scientists uh with medical breakthroughs
uh astronauts uh conquering new
frontiers
all types of folks of that nature but
but then there are
our heroes that are unsung those
heroes they’re the quiet armies of
soldiers on the battlefield
uh the factory line workers helping to
produce
those parts needed for that industrial
or
medical breakthrough uh the single
mother or the single father
working double shifts will support their
their child’s education
and most recently uh our courageous
frontline workers uh who have given
much some of their lives on the
coronavirus battlefield
all across the world they those persons
those persons are are unsung heroes
over the course of my life i have had
extraordinary opportunities to
observe heroic behavior from working for
the white house as a white house
presidential appointee for
u.s president george w bush to now as an
entertainer having performed
for three consecutive u.s presidents and
performing all over the world i’ve had
the great pleasure to perform here in
america for
president bush president barack obama
and now president trump
i have witnessed heroic behavior
in leadership performing here in the
united states in america
for our troops and veterans and military
families
i have personally witnessed the bravery
and sacrifice the heroic behavior of
america’s heroes
performing for some of the world’s
largest sporting
arenas such as as the young lady who
introduced so nicely mentioned for the
nfl for
the national basketball league the nba
for major league baseball mlb
and for the 2016 rio olympic season
i have witnessed the heroic behavior uh
within global sports
and serving as a global ambassador in
south africa
and working with the united nations to
bring greater educational opportunities
to underdeveloped and poverty-stricken
communities i have really witnessed
the heroic behavior of volunteerism
and service so here’s the good news
uh you don’t have to be a decorated
soldier or a leader of a great nation
or work at the white house or sing for
the nfl to be a hero
what it takes for you to be a hero
requires
three i believe basic things courage
heart and a drive to make a difference
no matter the cost so today
as a student at dubai gym private school
you can become a modern day hero
and so let’s start uh with courage you
know one of my favorite quotes about
courage
says this in whatever arena of life
one may meet the challenge of courage
whatever may be the
sacrifices he or she faces if he follows
his conscience
the loss of his friends his fortune
his contentment even the esteem of his
fellow men
each man must decide for himself
the course he will follow the stories of
past
courage can define that ingredient they
can teach
they can offer hope they can bring
inspiration
but they cannot supply courage
itself for each man
looks has to look to his own soul
i love that quote about courage and as a
young
student you are faced every day with
moments to exemplify courage that may
cost you friends or popularity or
an opportunity that may seem worthwhile
you may ask your parents or your
teachers or others for guidance
but courage is found in the depths
of one one’s own soul
the decision to be courageous must come
from you when challenged to stand up for
a friend choose courage
when challenged to use your voice for
good even if your voice
stands alone choose courage
when challenged to sacrifice so that
someone else
can benefit choose courage
second examine your heart and hone
your passions the british poor lloyd
alfred tennyson said it is better to
have loved
than to never have loved at all
a life lived through the lens of love
and passion drives you to a life
of purpose and a life of purpose
is one that takes all of those gifts and
talents
that are unique to you and authentically
impacts the world so
i want you as a as a young leader and a
young student
i want you to take those passions those
gifts those talents
and execute through purpose let your
heart
and passions be your sole motivation
for everything not money not possessions
but your passion every morning i wake up
fully confident that i am doing what i
am purpose to do
and that is because i am driven by
by what i love to do i love to sing
i love to create i love to help people
search your heart today and find those
passions that make you come alive
and that bring meaning to your life and
commit
to using them to impact the world
and lastly choose to make a difference
in someone’s life
someone else’s life no matter the cost
you know i believe that the ultimate uh
trait
of a hero is service giving beyond
yourself
giving beyond your means and giving
beyond your benefit
you know a life of service it requires
that you
approach everything selflessly
selflessly so today
i want you to make a commitment to make
a difference
in every life you touch by giving of
your time
your means your knowledge and
never factoring the cost associated
for doing so you know across the world
those who choose courage those across
the world those who have
have chosen courage those who led with
heart
and those who committed to making a
difference no matter the cost
those are our examples in history of
great leaders
many of them they never wore a cape or
desired the spotlight but they
they are just like regular people like
us like our front line heroes
who are fighting every day to make the
world
a better place you know the great albert
einstein says
he said only a life lived
for others is worthwhile
so anyone can be a hero your
contribution
it may not be seen or recorded in
history
uh but you will wake up every morning
knowing that you made a difference in
someone’s life
and that’s that’s what’s most important
so today
i want to empower you to become a modern
day hero
and leave your mark on the world choose
courage
follow your heart and your passion and
make a difference even if it costs
you everything you today can be
a dubai gym unsung hero
i hope that these words bless you today
i hope that you will go out today
and choose to be a modern day hero
courage
following your heart and your passions
and choosing to make a difference
no matter what it costs thanks so much
for having me today
and go change the world