This document is a transcript of a speech given by an ALS patient who has lost their ability to speak clearly. The speech focuses on providing tips for powerful communication and living an engaged life. Some of the key tips include thinking before speaking, being on time, avoiding gossip, finding time for solitude, having a plan, treating yourself well, and using your voice to positively impact others. The overall message is about making the most of your time and voice by fully engaging in life and helping to empower those around you.

1. Welcome to the best Speech you’ve never heard!

2. If you are here with me, please raise your hands. We will begin when all hands are raised and all eyes on screen.

3. Looks like we’re ready. You can put your hands down

4. Because of ALS, I can no longer speak clearly...

5. …so Thank You for letting these slides speak for me.

6. ALS may have stolen my power of speech, but I still have avoice…

7. And with it, I would first like to Thank YOU.

8. Thank you for being here.

9. I also have a request: I request you listen to this speech as if it had the power to put a million bucks in your pocket.

10. I promise it will be valuable, HOW VALUABLE IS UP TO YOU.

11. Please raise your hand if you accept my request…

12. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) aka Lou Gehrig’s disease is a complex, insidious and debilitating disease.

13. It is 90% spontaneous, can happen to anyone, and strikes an estimated 6,000 people every year.It is usually fatal with in 3-5 years.

14. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

15. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing.

16. In my case, ALS took my speech first.

17. I am no longer a singer.

18. I can no longer lead day-long workshops for hundreds of people at a time.

19. I can no longer rely on my voice to earn a living.

20. But ironically, I have never been more prolific, creative, and inspired than in the past few years.

21. I believe it took losing my power of speech to find my true voice.

22. I have experienced ALS symptoms for over six years.

23. But I was only diagnosed with ALS on March 9, 2009.

24. ALS has made me slow down. Savor life. Fulfill on my promise as a human being.

25. Two years ago, before I was diagnosed, I adopted the view that everything that was happening, was happening in my favor.

26. I may not understand it…

27. I may not like it…

28. It may even piss me off!

29. But I trust, all is happeningin my favor.

30. And I know, I can still use my voice to make a difference.

31. I attribute my ability to maintain an empowered mindset in the face of this diagnosis, to the Master Plan Program I created.

32. In the Master Plan, I train people to manage their space & mindset for optimal wellness and productivity. Creating a more empowering contextin their business & personal lives.

33. My clients report significant increases in income, wellbeing and Peace of Mind.Yep. I’m Good.

34. But tonight, I have just three goals.

35. The first, is to celebrate Life. We’ll “talk” about how you can fully engage in your own life and Find your own voice.

36. We’ll address How you can experience speaking powerfully and have your words listened to by others

37. We’ll talk about happiness, solitude and the infinitely inventive resource you are!

38. Then I will release you to conquer the planet.

39. We’ve only got 30 minutes so we best get going!

40. I am continually amazed at the adaptability of human beings.

41. People are always saying “I could never deal with what you are facing!” or “I don’t have your courage…”

42. This is BULLSHIT.(technical term)You could and you would.

43. What else are you going to do?Lay down and DIE?QUIT?Not so much.

44. Do yourself a favor andunderestimating your capacity.It serves NO ONE.

45. I am fortunate enough to have gotten a Yellow Light on my road in life. It is the GIFT of ALS. I have had a warning…you might want to act as if you do too.

46. Your time is precious.

47. So are your words.They have value and power. As I lost my ability to speak I became an expert on Speaking Powerfully

48. Did you ever notice most people talk about nothing?

49. Tip # 1Don’t use too many words

50. diluting the power of what you are saying by blathering… Make your speech Crisp, Clean and Impactful.

51. One of the 1st things that happened is I stopped swearing.

52. I had been a prolific innovator of profanity ~ I applied it liberally. …Like a white girl needing sunscreen.

53. Then one day it was just too much bother, I’d rather make my point and BE HEARD.

54. Tip #2Give people around you the gift of being heard.Hush your mouth and Listen.

55. Don’t be concerned with having the right response…

56. when you are truly with someone in their experience …You will KNOW exactly what to say.

57. Tip #3Think BEFORE you speak.

58. Are you moving the conversation forward? Or are you yearning for the sound of your own voice?

59. Avoid rambling. Unless you’re in Therapy or a Brainstorming Session.Or sharing drinks with CLOSE friends.

60. Tip #4BE ON TIME

61. If you can’t manage to be on time I’m not going to believe a thing you say.

62. It MATTERS where the MATTER of your body is in TIME.

63. If you think you don’t MATTER, get a therapist. Fake it till you make it if you must: put all clocks ahead 10 minutes.

64. It matters to the people who are waiting for you.Build basic trust by being on TIME.

65. If you get nothing else tonight, and you start being on time; it will transform your life and double your income.I PROMISE

66. Tip #5DO what you SAY.

67. When you know yourself as someone who does what they say MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, you WILL HAVE POWER.

68. Manage your promises. Write everything down. Keep your mind clear for thinking, don’t crowd it up with appointments or details!

69. Double check your calendar before you make an appointment.EVERY TIME.

70. Tip #6Manage UP

71. Communicate the MOMENT you know you won’t be fulfilling on a promise…

72. This tells people you are serious about your promises even when you aren’t able to keep them.

73. Managing UP…will also keep your BOSS off your ASS.

74. Tip #7Start Acknowledging and Appreciating people Regularly

75. Let’s practice Shall we? Tell your waitress and bartenders to look at the screen

76. To the STAFF here at ROCKIT: Thank you, for all you have done to make tonight possible.

77. For all the hundreds of things you had to do that no one even knows about and may never know.

78. We appreciate it! Thanks for taking such great care of us this evening! Now all y’all can applaud and cheer!

79. A little more would be in order, don’t you think?

80. Louder!Really give it to them.

81. OK. Now we’ll let them get back to work…Hush your mouths now… I can’t talk over you!

82. See? Wasn’t that FUN?Taking on a practice of acknowledgement allows you to BREATHE LIFE and VITALITY into those around you…

83. It beats the heck out of being a derisive gossiping twit. Or as I like to call it a SPACE SUCK.

84. Put reminders to acknowledge and appreciate people in your schedule.

85. Tip #8Avoid Gossip and Drama

86. Is it worth the MINUTES of your Life?Really?

87. I was never a big gossip, but when I was younger if I had an upset, I told GOD and EVERYONE…Over and over …

88. And then I had the audacity to wonder why I was single!

89. It must have been exhausting to be my friend…

90. Powerful people talk to the person who can change what they are upset about.

91. ASK yourself~ is this upset worth the minutes of my life? If not let it go…like water off a duck’s butt.

92. If it is worth your time,Proceed Appropriately.

93. Tip #9Be Accurate

94. White lies and exaggerations undermine the value of your speech

95. I am a reformed exaggerator.I did it for humor and I honestly thought I could get my work done that fast…

96. I didn’t know my talk was CHEAP…Because I rarely kept my promises, I had little opportunity.

97. I began to honor myself and my word in my 30’s; the more I did the more respect I earned and the more opportunity came my way.

98. People will treat you asYOU treat you.

99. So the easiest way to increase your VALUE is to HONOR your word.

100. Tip #10Forgive yourself whenever you screw up!

101. If you are keeping ALL your promises your GAME is too SMALL.

102. Just clean up any mess you make and Get back on the horse!

103. Play a game that inspires you…

104. Bonus tip:How to find your own voice:spend some time in solitude and ask yourself; “ What do I want?”

105. “ What we call fate does not come into us from the outside, but emerges from us.”Rainer Maria Rilke

106. Seek solitude for at least a half hour once or twice a week, until you are CLEAR… about what you want

107. Then start having conversations about what you want…THIS will make you HAPPY!

108. We are going to test this out:Turn to the person next to you and tell them 3 things you WANT

109. I’ll give you 30 sec’s a piece…

110. SWITCH if you haven’t switched!

111. Alright… Come on Back!Perfect.

112. Thomas Edison was a master of solitude. Solitude fueled his flow state…

113. He even built his workspace to accommodate periods of solitude and deep concentration balanced with access to his team and laboratory resources

114. Frequently, I find my clients are so inundated with information, they have difficulty hearing their own voice…

115. I have a prescription for this: 2 wks of TV and News Deprivation, only Checking emails 4x’s/day long walksDaily Journaling TRUST ME your creativity WILL FLOW!

116. A Word about News Deprivation Much of what passes for news is legitimized gossip ANY thing truly URGENT you’ll hear from your waitress They will do EVERYTHING in their power to keep you watching Negative conversations SUCK YOUR SPACE When you are watching you are DISENGAGED

117. When people are fully engaged in their life and the pursuit of what they truly want…

118. They experience being HAPPY

119. A few months ago I had the thought, “ If I’m dying, why am I so damn Happy?” and then I realized I’ve been fully engaged in creating what I want for awhile now…

120. The results are IRRELEVANT…How long you have to live is IRRELEVANT…

121. As long as you are in love with the actions.FALL in LOVE with the ACTIONS

122. Gravitate towards conversations that create, avoid conversations that destroy.

123. Conversations that destroy are beneath you.Seek to increase the life and vitality of everyone around you.

124. Hang out with other people who are going after what they want…Talk about it with them!Now THAT’S POWERFUL…

125. New research shows that Happiness Travels in Packs:YOUR HAPPINESS MAKES A DIFFERENCE

126. “Three Degrees of Influence” is a finding from Christakis and Fowler, it says everything we do or say tends to ripple through our network…

127. Having an impact on our friends(1 degree) Our friends’ friends (2 degrees) AND our Friends’ friends’ friends ( 3 degrees)

128. If a person is happy, they found it is 15% more likely their friend will be happy

129. It’s also 10% more likely that persons friends’ friend will be happy AND 6% more likely the friends’ friends’ friend will be happy

130. That’s a lot of HAPPY.Happiness is not only an individual matter Your happiness can infuse up to 3 Degrees of separation!

131. “When unhappy, one doubts everything; when happy one doubts nothing.”Joseph Roux

132. Happy people are more ATTRACTIVE.Did you ever hit on a GRUMP?

133. Happy people with a PLAN are a force of NATURE.

134. The purpose of a plan is to keep your vision of the future you want in existence

135. In the Master Plan program, the plan is a roadmap between where you are now and where you say you want to be.

136. “A FOOL with a plan will outsmart a GENIUS with no plan”T. Boone Pickens

137. Every minute you spend planning will save you 10 minutes in EXECUTION.

138. You may never do my program or any other planning programbut…

139. Do your self a favor and Get with a PLAN!

140. There is abundant research that supports the practice of writing out your goals…

141. NOTE: this says WRITING (not typing) your goals…

142. Planning Secret of the STARS #1:HANDWRITING trumps typingeverytime…

143. When you type you activate your brain at the level of letters

144. When you write you ENGAGE your brain at the level of concept , thought and vision

145. Even if all you do is write out your top 3 goals/wishes /wantseach day…

146. You’ll go farther than if you don’t.

147. If you write something down, you are 50% more likely to DO or HAVE that thing.

148. If you review it each day, you are 200% more likely to DO or HAVE that thing…

149. I like those odds!Planning Secret of the STARS #2:Review your plan each day.

150. Planning Secret of the STARS #3:Make sure your goals/wishes/ dreams are ALIGNED…

151. Your mind, heart, speaking, vision and actionMUST be aligned.

152. Otherwise you work against yourself, and wonder why it’s not going your way…

153. Check your reflection.LOOK deeply it may not be obvious…

154. Be sure your goals are in harmony

155. For example: I have a client in sales who has maxed out her earning potential in her current position…

156. She has other products and projects that would pay handsomely but they were not gaining traction…

157. I had her keep a diary of what she talked about for 1 wk…tracking her conversational DIET.

158. She was shocked to see she spent over 30 hours a week in conversations about a volunteer position she has had for 7 years.

159. Now I’m all for volunteering…

160. But 30+ hours a week is a managerial position NOT a volunteer!

161. Her volunteer position had become an obsolete HABITthat was no longer sourceful.

162. Her desires and speaking was not aligned with what she was spending the minutes of her life on…

163. Planning Secret of the STARS #4:People treat you like you treat you

164. One of the primary tenets of the Master Plan is Self Care as an access to SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE

165. Let’s pretend for a moment You own a $50 million dollar racehorse…

166. AND that horse is your only source of income…How would you treat that animal?(No. you can’t sell it!)

167. What kind of Food Shelter Rest TrainersDoctorssexual partnersattire/ blanketswould you give that horse?

168. Turn to the person next to you and tell them how you would treat the horse…I’ll give you 1 minute

169. SWITCH if you haven’t switched.

170. Alright COME ON BACK….That horse would have the BEST right?

171. Consider you are the only $50 million dollar producer you may ever own

172. You wouldn’t ride that horse until midnight or 2 am and expect it to WIN a race at 8 am the next day…

173. Yet you expect this from your self from time to time…

174. I’m out to enroll you in ELEVATING YOUR EXPERIENCE

175. Give yourself the BEST…and set yourself up to WIN.

176. Take it 1 step at a time:FoodSleep/RestGet a massageYou have my permission!

177. Go to bed an hour early 2-3 times a week…You never know when you’ll need to draw on the reserves of your energy

178. Guard your energy as you would guard your optimism…

179. Release relationships that take more than they give…or manage them POWERFULLY if they are necessary.(minimize any negative impact)

180. Schedule time to hang out with those who NURTURE and SUPPORT you.

181. OK Ya’ll have been GREAT!HANG in there we’re almost done!

182. In conclusion,I have 3 requests of you…

183. Show me by your hands if you accept my requests…

184. 1) Go be a contribution to others by making a difference once a monthshow meRaise your hand if you will…

185. 2) Fully engage in your life by planning and elevate your experience at leastonce a week Show your hands…thanks!

186. 3) Treat yourself like a $50 million dollar racehorsedo 1 nice thing for yourself everydayhands up…???( it’s not as easy as it sounds)

187. THANK YOU!For your time and attention

188. Now go forth and use your Powers for GOOD…

189. Please get me your card so we can connect on Linked In and Facebook! If you are interested in a “Speechless Speech” for your company or organization let me know.