Top 5 LEGENDARY Speeches | Motivation For When Life Gets Hard | Goalcast
[Music]
got my arms out I got my head up he gets
to my feet and he’s coming back up my
body and he poses the question what’s
your playing oh man I still am going d1
on the college he said you’ll probably
end up in cell block D 1 and went to
walk off I walked with him I tapped his
arm
turn around so you got the wrong guy he
said no I know about you sarcasm fix it
said then you have two uncles that came
in the same school so yes sir
he said weren’t they little athletes
just like you like people talked about
him and how they could play sports and
all that say yes sir he said aren’t they
served in 13 and 40 years at the federal
penitentiary not even ten minutes away
from these front doors said yes sir he
said absolutely apple doesn’t fall far
from the tree
they probably end up in cellblock D one
walk it off I walk with him I tapped his
chest he turned around I said I’m
telling you you got the wrong guy he
said we’ll see I said we will and I had
this dream that man if I could just make
it to the NFL I could get my mother all
for that double shift at Wendy’s my man
if I could make it to the NFL me and my
cousins you won’t have to miss mills if
I could just make it to that NFL man
everything will make sense and when I
got my scholarship from Tennessee you
know the first person I went to see a
cop I went to him and he said something
to me and it ranged so true I slipped my
paper across the table to him and he
stood up and he said I want to ask you a
question how did you do it he said every
kid that comes in these doors they say
that but they end up selling drugs
across street at the gas station or they
end up going to prison going to jail
like everybody wants something out of
life he said the reason I said that to
you he said I want you to understand
something I’m here every day he said the
only reason I said it to you he said I
wasn’t even trying to break you I just
wanted to see what juvie wasn’t a fight
for the thing that you said you wanted
when somebody came at you when they
tried to crush you and say because of
your family history because of your
lineage you’re probably going to end up
just like them I wanted to see would you
be willing to fight for what you said
you own it coming into my junior year I
get my paperwork back from the NFL and
I’m a projected first-round draft fan
who new kid from the two-bedroom home 14
people that come out my first game have
a great game and the quarterback just so
happens to drop back and he releases the
ball to a guy coming down my sideline
and as soon as I made contact with the
guy I knew something was wrong it seemed
as if every breath of my body left my
body went completely left I fell to the
ground I blacked out they had never had
my eyes open my teammates ran over to me
and said ain’t get up let’s rock let’s
close it out let’s go I said I can
there’s a shotgun for my neck to my toes
I can’t feel anything now I remember
they brought the spine board out put me
on it they’re willing me off to the
field doctors came running from the
opposite side and the lead doctor says
guys get in here we got a rush this kid
back to emergency surgery he’s about to
die you ruptured up subclavian artery in
your chest you’re bleeding internally
we don’t take you back and perform
surgery right now he said you won’t be
here in the morning and a game of
football on my skull of life who stepped
in the NFL that big and I’m like man
that’s all you really woman was a
contract from the NFL that was it I was
embarrassed I just got up every day went
through drills and man i’ma make it to
the NFL
NASA beat that’d be it no value no
substance nothing there’s a quote that
says when do a person start to really
live when a person has encountered death
not encounter death not survive it and I
guarantee you it was literally as if
somebody pulled the shades up on my
lifeless and now you see life what it’s
really worth
you thought it’s about the NFL now you
really see life for what is really worth
like I thought I was driven when I plays
for a man every day I get up that drive
different like every single day I get up
to impact life that is why god life with
the drive the dedication and the
commitment level that I do and when
adversity opposition and the thing that
should have crushed me I step back I’m
embracing the same light that’s all you
got this was your best shot and I find
an amazing man how in life people say
man I’m gonna do something I’m on fire
I’m committed to it but a change in
circumstance
a change in situation I don’t get what I
thought I was gonna get now the mission
that they what set out on to change the
world by impact people it means nothing
to them as long as what you’re doing
what you’re connected to serves a
greater purpose than just yourself son
you will always trample the opposition
you will always temple to adversity you
will always trample the challenges of
life one thing about it character is not
something that you’re born with
character is something that you get up
every single day you fight it you built
it and every single day the process is
happening constantly and life through
opposition through adversity and through
challenges at the end of the day it’s
about who we become listen about what we
did go get it
when I walked out here I got to be
honest I was pretty nervous I hope I
didn’t you know bomb this hey you know
cuz last time what happened so on the
screen you were gonna see my best friend
my wife Kelsey she winds up telling me
with excitement in fear that she’s
pregnant nine months go by and my
daughters born and the reason I know
that my wife is the best in the world
it’s cuz when I looked at my wife and I
said what do you want to name her you
think Madison or Avery she looked at me
and said no we have to name Chloe Lin
don’t we and I said we don’t have to do
that why would you even think that and
she said because you idiot you already
got your ex-girlfriends name tattooed on
your arm yeah so I named her after my
ex-girlfriend it’s not true it’s not
true
now my ex-girlfriends the devil but it’s
done so everything’s going my way I’m
coming up in my third deployment I gotta
go over to Afghanistan for my third time
start putting her stuff on like normal
as we’re going over what we’re gonna do
we’re strapped in our gear on we go out
with a minesweeper we start sweeping the
ground back and forth back and forth
nothing alarms there’s anything there I
took my backpack off I set it on the
ground it hits the ground and underneath
it is a bomb man takes my right arm
right leg automatically they rushed me
into surgery right we’re gonna fast
forward into the surgery here and they
cut my left leg off because it’s already
gone and then two days later they have
to cut my left arm off because the skin
in necrotized so I’m a quadruple amputee
three days later I arrived at Walter
Reed in Bethesda Maryland my wife came
up to me right and I saw her and I
finally got a chance to talk to her I
said Kelsey you don’t have to do this
take the house take the cars take
whatever money we have saved up and go
this is not the life I would choose for
you and she thought about it and she
said you know I was thinking that
yeah I mean she came around and she said
you know what handicapped parking sounds
enticing I’m I’m gonna stay but if you
can imagine she actually at 23 and I’m
25 and our daughter six months old said
you know what I’m gonna be here we’re
gonna get through this together so I’m
at Walter Reed and I’m trying to recover
I had to find motivation by find
motivation in my wife and my daughter
and all of a sudden there’s a
Brotherhood at Walter Reed a robot
walked into my room and first thing I
this guy’s mouth was hey man welcome to
the club I said I wanna be in your club
he said kind of late now don’t you think
so no he got me there
his name was Todd nicely he showed me
that with hard work and determination I
could walk again and two things went off
number one this guy showed me the way
that I can get better I can still be
there for my family and number two he’s
a Marine and if a Marine can do without
dumb they are you know so the things I
wanted to accomplish I want to be able
to feed myself again I want to be able
to pick a fork up and put food in my
mouth you see I couldn’t do that for
five weeks at five weeks I was out of my
recovery stage enough where I was healed
up and I could grab a fork I also was
tired of sitting in a wheelchair I
thought you know what I won’t be able to
walk again
so seven weeks and four days into my
recovery I took my very first steps at
Walter Reed it was very painful it was
not easy and as I was walking around the
track I said you’ll walk one lap today
and I went ahead and walk three laps
that day and when I got done I sat down
took a breather and realize this could
be something that
now the next thing ladies and gentlemen
is my hand listings the coolest in the
world on the screen you’re gonna see the
most important hand that I own right
there it’s not the one I’m wearing no
that one that one’s called a dry fur
that hand is in a Crown Royal bag on the
top shelf of my closet yeah and nobody
touches that hand because that hand
closes 25 pounds of pressure you see my
daughter is seven years old yeah in nine
years Jonny’s gonna come knock at the
door he’s gonna be like hey bro
like just bro me Johnny that’s 25 pounds
of pressure is like ah dude that hurts
Johnny there’s no strike 2 & 3 this is 2
& 3 right here crunch I break his hand
I know sad he’s like let me go let me go
I pulled Johnny close I don’t let him go
no I say Johnny guess what I don’t know
what no fingerprints Johnny remember
that Johnny
[Applause]
when I got blown up when I was down and
out I was wondering why did this happen
I was embarrassed I was angry I was
questioning my bad person does God hate
me and the biggest question I honestly
had this gentleman was why didn’t I just
die why did I live through this and I
found the answer of my family and I
found the answer and Todd nicely that
corporal that came to see me that was
retired from the Marine Corps that told
me I would be fine so I decided I was
going to talk to everybody I could that
was at that hospital and I Walter Reed
amputees are that what you normally see
and me missing all four limbs that was
the worst you’re gonna see so I’d go
room to room and I’d say hey I’m Travis
you’re gonna be fine
same message Todd gave me from that
experience some people found out I did
that I became known as the mayor of
building 62 and they made a documentary
on me I don’t think my problems outweigh
anybody else’s I am fortunate to live in
a nation where I can wake up in the
morning with no arms no legs strap my
legs on right throw my arm on go in the
elevator and go out and live life to the
fullest take my wife and my daughter
where we want to go the two life lessons
that I have learned that I want you to
go and pass along to everybody that you
meet is number one
don’t dwell in the past I learned that
because when I was sitting in my
hospital bed close my eyes and wishing
that this did not happen I realized
you’re not going to change the past I
can’t change what happened yesterday
and I can’t change what happened six
years ago in Afghanistan so I reminisce
225 great years I had with legs and arms
and I’ve had six pretty great years
without
but with that experience and so many
more as you can’t always control your
situation but I can always do so my
attitude
[Applause]
I was 18 years old when I got married I
belonged to a very conservative family a
Balochi family we’re good daughters
never say no to their parents my father
wanted me to get married and all I said
was if that makes you happy I’ll say yes
and of course it was never a happy
marriage just about after two years of
getting married about nine years ago I
made a car accident
somehow my husband fell asleep and the
car fell in the ditch he managed to jump
out saved himself I’m happy for him but
I stayed inside the car and I sustained
a lot of injuries list is a bit long
Gradius a lot of my right arm were
fractured the wrist was fractured
shoulder bone and collarbone were
fractured my whole ribcage got fractured
but that injury that changed me and my
life completely was the spine injury
many people came to rescue they gave me
CPR they dragged me out of the car and
while they were dragging me out I got
the complete transection of my spinal
cord those two and a half months in the
hospital were dreadful I was at the
words of despair one day doctor came to
me and he said well I heard that you
wanted to be an artist but you ended up
being a housewife I have a bad news for
you
you won’t be able to paint again next
day doctor came to me and said your
spine injury is so bad you won’t be able
to walk again I took a deep breath and I
said it’s alright next day doctor came
to me and said because of your spine
injury and the fixation that you have in
your back you won’t be able to give
birth to a child again
that day I was devastated I started to
question my existence why am I even
alive so what kept me going was one day
I asked my brother’s I knew I have a
deformed hand but I’m tired of looking
at these white walls in the hospital and
wearing these white scrubs
bring me some colours bring me some
small canvas I want to paint so the very
first painting I made was on my deathbed
where I painted for the very first time
what an amazing therapy it was without
uttering a single word I could paint my
heart out I could share my story people
used to come and say what lovely
painting so much color nobody could see
the grief in it only I could and that
day I decided that I’m going to live
life for myself I am NOT going to be
that perfect person for someone I am
just going to take this moment
we’ll make it perfect for myself but I’m
going to fight my fears so I wrote down
one by one
all those fears and I decided that I’m
going to overcome these fears one at a
time you know what was my biggest fear
divorce but the day I decided that this
is nothing but my fear i liberated
myself by setting him free and I made
myself emotionally so strong there the
day I got the news that he is getting
married I sent him a text that I’m so
happy for you and I wish you all the
best and he knows that I pray for him
today
number two was I won’t be able to be a
mother again
and that was quite devastating for me
but then I realized there are so many
children in the world all they want is
acceptance so there is no point of
crying just go and adopt one and that’s
what I did
[Applause]
I gave my name in different
organizations different orphanages and I
waited patiently two years later I got
this call from a very small city in
Pakistan I got a call and they said are
you money by Missouri there is a boy
baby boy and would you like to adopt I
could literally feel the labor pains yes
yes I am going to adopt him I am coming
to take him on
and that day I was two years old two
days old and today he’s six you know
when you end up being on the wheelchair
what’s the most painful thing people
think that there will not be accepted by
the people because we in the world of
perfect people are imperfect so I
decided to appear more in public I
started to paint I’ve done a lot of
modeling campaigns I decided that I’m
going to join the national TV of
Pakistan as an anchorperson I became the
National goodwill ambassador for UN
Women Pakistan and now I speak for the
rights of women children I was featured
in BBC hundred women for 2015 I’m one of
the first 30 under 30 for 2016 so when
you accept yourself the way you are the
world recognizes you it all starts from
within we have this amazing fantasy
about life this is how things should
work this is my plan it should go as per
my plan if that doesn’t happen we give
up I never wanted to be on the
wheelchair never thought of beam
this life is a test and a trial and
tests are never supposed to be easy so
when you’re expecting ease from life and
life gives you lemons then you make the
lemonade and then do not blame life for
that it is okay to be scared
it is okay to cry everything is okay but
giving up should not be an option they
always say that failure is not an option
failure should be an option because when
you fail you get up and then you fail
and then you get up and that keeps you
going
embrace each and every breath that you
are taking celebrate your life live it
don’t die before your death real
happiness lies in gratitude so be
grateful be alive and live every moment
[Music]
it still haunts me to this day it was a
shriek the I grew up in this really
normal beautiful middle-class family my
father was 35 years old he was the
breadwinner of the family my mom was a
homemaker that was the role in the 1970s
she stayed at home raised the kids I
don’t know if you can relate with this
but my dad was my key role not everybody
has that kind of dad but my dad was my
hero he was a hockey coach he was a
baseball coach he was the kind of man
you wanted to be your best for and I
felt in his shadow I could do or be
anything and I felt loved and accepted
in in August 1975
I remember the the night the priest from
the local parish came and knocked on our
door and I I remember because I remember
the sound that my mom made and it still
haunts me to this day it was a shriek a
horror because all of a sudden our world
completely turned inside out literally
in one day what happened within a year
is mum remarried and the man that she
hooked up with was a violent abusive
alcoholic and so I went from a message
of your loved and you can do and be
anything to you’re stupid you’re dumb
you’ll never mount anything
and I was eight I honestly I didn’t know
how to process that I begin to believe
lies about who I was and how I fit into
the world shortly after my ninth
birthday an opportunity presented itself
to to do drugs for the first time by the
time I was 15 years old I was
non-compliant at home I grew an extra
two feet
not so good for my stepfather there was
a lot of tension between him and I and
he paid the bills so I had to go for me
it was jumping out of the pot and
straight into the fire 15 years old I
was on my own just try and get through
another sunset at 16 years old I began
getting in trouble with the legal system
I remember going back out to the street
completely broken as a human being
walking up East Hastings with the
pouring rain and I said to myself how
did I get here
I’m a good kid from a good family how
did I end up in this much trouble what
it up happening is I remember this the
day it was a beautiful sunny day just
like today see back in those days I was
a was a liar a thief a cheatin a mooch
and I landed in this park and I saddled
up beside this guy sitting at a bus stop
named Gus because he had a cigarette and
he gave me a cigarette he was a really
nice guy and he gave me a couple bucks
too but he gave me something more the
entire time I was sitting there talking
to him Gus said to me sis you know Joe
he says there’s more to you than you can
see
he said but life is it’s kind of dirtied
your windows and so the light doesn’t
get in and your light doesn’t get out
you could go on to do extraordinary
things because you’re a real bright guy
I remember when he was talking to me and
he was speaking his truth into my life I
was looking over my shoulder for someone
else because what stood before him
did not align with his words but he said
to me he said there’s more to you than
you can see remember my heart absolutely
seek four years of my life I didn’t take
accountability for my own actions I
blame society I blame my stepfather I
blamed everybody else except me and that
that kept me from actually taking
responsibility for my own behavior in my
own life it deflected it but on that
moment the miracle happened for me and
the miracle was that I became teachable
I became pliable and I became willing to
do just about anything you know one of
the things that I know today is that
discontentment is the catalyst of change
and what I mean by that it’s oftentimes
not until we’re backed into a corner
where we become teachable where we
become willing to do something different
but you see possibility always exists it
never goes away it’s always present even
at my lowest point the possibility of
transformation was there I started to
flower I started to come out and I
started to do incredibly well I went
from a kid pushing a shopping cart just
try and get through another sunset
– being on the cover of Canadian
business is inside every single one of
us is infinite possibility
and she says the most offensive thing to
me that you can say to a person of color
in the United States of America she asks
me were you born in this country and I
was immediately offended I put my hands
on my hips and I said yeah I was born in
this country she then goes on to ask me
how old are you I said in 19 years old
she says are you married I said no ma’am
she says do you have any kids I said no
ma’am and may I help you find something
she then goes on to tell me something
that changed my life forever she says
you look like you could be the next Miss
USA
and I laughed at this woman hysterically
I said lady I don’t know what you’re
talking about
I’m a I’m going into my sophomore year
at Virginia State I’m about to
Commission in three years go on active
duty be a military officer somehow this
crazy woman convinced me to meet her at
Starbucks the very next day she brought
this foot tall stack of pageant books
and she goes on to convince me to
compete in my very first pageant I
compete in my first pageant three months
later and I lose I go back the second
year compete in my state pageant and I
lose I go back the third year competing
my state pageant and I lose go back the
fourth year compete in my state pageant
and lose go back the fifth year compete
in my state pageant and lose but guess
what happens the sixth year I lose
I called her on the phone six years
after our target conversation and I said
you told me I could be the next Miss USA
and she says dashana keep trying keep
trying keep trying
in June of 2015 this amazing kind of
cuckoo woman passes away from leukemia
in December 2015 I win Miss District of
Columbia USA in June 2016 I’m crowned
the first soldier to win Miss USA and
last January in Manila Philippines I
walked the Miss Universe stage and
placed top nine amongst 80s
countries
[Applause]
do not fear failure but please be
terrified of regret when you walk out
this door into the real world you’ll
receive a lot of shut doors a lot of
turn down applications you will hear way
more noes than you hear yes
giving up is something I did a lot of
growing up and I don’t think I really
challenge myself to stick anything
through until I joined the track team in
middle school I remember having to ask
my mom
after tryouts and making it to the team
for my very first pair of track shoes
now at the time she walks into our house
and she has a bag that has a nice Nike
check sign on it so I get excited
because I wasn’t getting these shoes
very often I go to take the shoe box out
the bag and I notice that it says a size
9 on it mind you in the seventh grade I
was a size five I opened the box and I
slide my feet into the shoe and I look
at my mother and I said these shoes are
too big she says I know I did that on
purpose I was like why would you buy
shoes that are too big on purpose mom
and she says because I know that you’re
going to grow into them coach has us
lined up on the starting line and he
wants us to run her lap around the track
as we go to take off I immediately fall
to the ground twist my ankle because the
shoes are entirely too big see I
couldn’t run at the speed that I wanted
to because I didn’t fit the shoes I was
wearing at the time now many of us have
goals we’re trying to achieve but the
person we are right now is not the
person that we need to be when we cross
the finish line to our dreams so we must
walk and pace ourselves on this journey
to our goals because we haven’t grown
enough in ourselves to fit the shoes
that we need to achieve our aspirations
but let me tell you something if I have
won Miss USA my very first year I would
not have been Miss USA I would not have
been the version of myself that I needed
to be to properly handle a national
title many of us aren’t ready to walk
the rate
but understand that as we walk this race
we pace ourselves and as we pace
ourselves we grow and as we grow our
foot gets bigger and as our foot gets
bigger our shoes begins to fill in as
our shoes begin to fill we can now run a
little bit faster and as we pick up the
pace we get to the finish line at the
exact time we are destined to cross it
do not fear the word no but from be
afraid of the possibility of a yes that
you have prematurely destroyed because
you decided to quit before the clock
strikes 12:00 there are a lot of
questions that is going to keep you up
at night but I guarantee there isn’t one
question that will keep you up longer at
night than the question what if I didn’t
give up
[Applause]
