“The difference between one man and another is not mere ability – it is energy”
— Thomas Arnold
I’m not sure I have ever attended two such diametrically opposed events on the same day, as I did today.
After a late, Friday night, many Toastmasters from District 7 gathered this morning at 7am to attend the Leadership ’11 Conference. Rory Vaden was again the keynote speaker and Scott “Q” Marcus highlighted the afternoon with a dynamic presentation and “thinspiration”. Two District Level contests and several excellent breakout sessions rounded out an inspiration and motivational day. At 6pm, exhausted, I slumped back into my car.
Home wasn’t next on the agenda, though.
Instead, a short drive straight to my son and daughter’s school to chaperone their middle school’s Fall dance fundraiser. To understand the scene, imagine 250 kids in grades 6th through 8th, yelling screaming, dancing, laughing, and smiling to the pulse-pounding beats of today’s hottest hits. It was really loud.
While these two events are about as different as I can imagine, they do have one thing in common.
Energy!
Throughout the Toastmasters conference, I heard from speaker after speaker – Energy. Energy to make a change, energy to pursue your dreams, energy in persistence and perseverance. Energy.
The middle school dance was nothing but energy. High voltage teenage energy.
We need energy to make change, to make a difference or to do anything worth doing. And every bit of energy we use for trivial, unnecessary or counter-productive tasks will only make us less effective.
Then, when your day is done, your energy was spent generously, and you are completely exhausted, take a rest.
You deserve it.
Room host at the D7 Toastmasters conference, followed by 2 hours of walking around Whitford middle school for outside security.
Give Our Time 
I remember my first school dance, as an 8th grader – “Smoke On The Water”, with lots of dry ice… and the high voltage you describe 🙂
It was also electric at my middle school dances. In fact, I remember being so proud at the time to be able to play the riff to that song on the base guitar. Classic.
Thanks for the memory, Maria.
Thanks for reminding me 🙂
Cheers to you and buckets of energy this morning!
It took a good night’s sleep to restore the energy after yesterday, Natalie. Thanks!
Hi Eric
I just found this link to my website and I wanted to thank you for it. Your comments about energy are indeed true. What you didn’t know when I did my “energetic” talk on Saturday was I was hit by a car 10 days ago and I am lucky to be alive, let alone walking. (Details: http://thistimeimeanit.com/news/newspaper-column/story-getting-hit-car-crossing-highway/ ) While doing my presentation, I felt no pain for the first time since the accident. When I was done, it came back.
I think the lesson, at least for me, is when you give what you’ve got to people and really try and connect with them (what any good speaker will do) is that unto itself is healing for the audience as well as the speaker.
Thanks for the kind comments; please stay in touch.
First, let me say that I’m happy that you’re up and around, not in a hospital or worse. That’s the most important thing.
Second, the irony of your story is that your physical pain went away while trying to give something to others (your audience) and what I’ve discovered with this challenge/blog is that when we really try to give something to someone else, a lot of the mental pain goes away as well. I wouldn’t have made that connection before.
Cheers (and a speedy recovery) to you!