Every single human being carries a responsibility

I recently watched the movie "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" based on the book by John Boyne telling the story of a young boy living during World War II and being exposed to the crucial reality of concentration camps at that time. The movie made me cry at several occasions.

It also showed me that we all carry a responsibility to make sure something like this never happens again. Best way to do this is by creating deep and lasting relationships across all boundaries of nations, skin colours, belief systems etc. As Zig Ziglar poignantly said: "No raindrop blames itself for the flood and no snowflake blames itself for the blizzard but every citizen has a responsibility for our country".

Moreover, many people think that we are living in boring times without war and hence without many opportunities to be a hero. This is completely wrong. Today we have so many choices and so much freedom as no other generation had before in history. We are so privileged to live in such a captivating time today full of opportunities to make a difference in this world and fulfill our purpose in life. These opportunities might not be as obvious as fighting an armed opponent on the battlefield but if we really want we find plenty of them: People in developing countries desperately need help and today we have an unprecedented variety of ways to help. And also in developed countries we have plenty of opportunities to reach out to those in need. By not ignoring these needs but rising up to the challenge and making a difference, every one of us can become a hero of the 21^st century.

Numbing our fear senses by daily actions

People learning martial arts often repetitively punch objects in order to numb the parts of the body that typically are the most frequently used in a fight. We can apply the same powerful principle in our everyday life by exposing ourselves to situations that we are scared of. That is why I personally find the exercise of doing a speech every day (and other excercises) so powerful.
Taking action EVERY day also builds another extremely crucial life skill in us: DISCIPLINE. We need discipline in order to stay on track and truly honour our commitments. Discipline is often what separates the person who merely has a vision from the other who really puts his dream into action.
A brilliant example of a man who achieved so much through discipline is Keith Craft. Have a look at the following pictures:
(a) Keith in the 1970s very tall but also very slim and skinny: http://keithcraftblog.com/index.php/2009/07/09/happy-anniversary/

(b) Keith today with his extremely strong and muscular body: http://keithcraftblog.com/index.php/about/

It shows perfectly that we always have a choice in life. If we have a goal (i.e. becoming a trained athlete) then we can choose to become that if we are ready to work on it with discipline and honour this commitment. If Keith could train himself like this over time, so can you.

My daily speech in public transport or at other various locations throughout cities

People regularly ask me where I am doing my speeches and what I talk about. That's what I would like to share with you today. As already stated last week I do one speech every day with the goal of doing a minimum of 300 speeches of at least 1min. length each by the end of 2009. I deliberately choose locations that are far outside my comfort zone. Excellent examples are fully packed trains, trams, train stations and public places. The more people watch, the more effort it requires of me and the greater is the reward.

In terms of topics I focus on things that inspire others to live a more fulfilling life i.e. overcoming fears, focus on positive things, go after their dreams, help others etc.

Here are the three most frequent examples. I hope it inspires you to make changes in your own life as well. All it takes is less than 5min. per day and courage to break out of old patterns:

Speech 1: Get rid of fears (public speaking and embarrassment)

(Customised opening) I'm speaking to you to get rid of my fears to speak in front of others and of my fear to embarrass myself in front of others. That's why I'm at the moment doing a small speech every day at an unusual location. And it's a really life changing experience and a wonderful liberating feeling. That's why I strongly encourage everyone of you who has fears - and most people have fears - to start by making a short list of you fears on a piece of paper. Afterwards you start by doing small unusual things outside your comfort zone. Even if it just takes 2 or 3 minutes out of your daily routine, it'll be really life changing over the weeks and months. I'll be happy to share any of my experience or recommend some books that personally helped me a lot in the past. Feel free to ask any questions. I hope it was inspiring. Do something great with your life!

Speech 2: Overcome Negativity/Focus on all blessings

Hallo everyone. I am doing a short speech to push myself outside my comfort zone. And today I'd like to encourage you... (Customised opening) ...to make more out of your life. So many people spend their time every day in negativity or doing sth. that they are not really passionate about. It does not have to be like that. Ask yourself everyday: "Why do I do all this? What do I really want to achieve with my life?" Focus on all the amazing positive things that you are surrounded with and that a lot of people take for granted: For example, we can breathe and we are living in an amazing developed country: AUSTRALIA. If we just keep focusing on the positive things and what we really feel called to be doing, life is so much more enjoyable. That's why I strongly encourage you to start changing your environment with small things. For example give a genuine smile to every human being you meet and do sth. outside your comfort zone everyday like I'm doing it in front of you right now. There's nothing to wait for. There is no one to blame. Thank you very much for listening. I hope it was inspiring. Do something great with your life!

Speech 3: Open towards others/Reach out more to others

Hallo everyone. I am doing a short speech to push myself outside my comfort zone. And today I'd like to encourage you...(Customised opening) ...to reach out more to people that you are surrounded with everyday. Do not make the mistake that many people do and be absorbed in unnecessary self-concern. Instead: take the focus of yourself and put it on using your unique gifts to bless others. The interesting thing is that it also makes you more successful. As Zig Ziglar said: "You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." We're all equipped with gifts and we all have a unique fingerprint. It's our responsibility to contribute our unique gifting. Just look around: All of us are surrounded with plenty of opportunities to serve others every day. Even if it's just sth. small as a genuine smile to another human being or a speech at an unusual location as I'm doing it today. It makes a massive difference if you keep doing it over the weeks and months. Thank you very much for your attention. I hope it was inspiring. Do something great with your life!