Professional keynote & seminar speaker using the wisdom & persona of Forrest Gump to inspire individuals and companies to self motivate and control own destiny.
We regret that the commitment we have displayed to post each Monday and Thursday has been ‘derailed’ by travel this week. Our intended blog post for Thursday July 29th, addressing Personal Responsibility, will be posted as soon as possible.
In the spirit of said topic, Mr. Weber and the Editor accept 100% responsibility for the delay!
Best Wishes to All,
The Editor
Forrest Gump switched roles from foot soldier to ping-pong player while in the U.S. Army.
The 2010 Tour de France concluded yesterday. Lance Armstrong finished the race in 23rd overall position in what will be his final Tour. Not bad for a 38 year old man. After winning the tour 7 straight years from ’98 to ’05, and then finishing 3rd last year after a 3 year retirement, Lance stated that he’s disappointed with the result.
Life doesn’t always go exactly as planned. I’m sure Lance’s plan was to win the race. In both stages 3 and 8, adversity and setbacks occurred: crashes, mechanical problems, flat tires. The combination of these events doomed his chances for a podium finish.
So what do we do when events cause our plans to change? What did Lance Armstrong do when bad luck changed the course of his race? What did Forrest Gump do when faced with misfortune? What do you do when events and mishaps force you to change roles?
Steve meeting his original coach and mentor, Arnold Sanow, at the 2010 NSA Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida
This past weekend I attended the National Speakers Association (NSA) Annual Convention in Orlando. Last week I shared here in my blog that this would be the first Annual Convention that I’d be attending since becoming a member of the NSA. I related the story of Fishing Where the Fishermen Fish from now Past-President Phil Van Hooser . The moral of that story was that if you want to learn to be the best, then hang out with the best … this past weekend I did indeed hang out with the very best!
To say that I learned would be an understatement. I’m still swirling with possibilities from everything I experienced and everyone I met. I accept that the results of my new learning and new friendships will take months, and possibly even years, to fully be measured and come to fruition. To acknowledge a few individuals will discount the contributions of the many others that I’ll forget to mention. So my intention today is to limit my observations to the global experience. Specifics will be revealed in time, and most likely with future dedicated blog posts that will highlight some of these remarkable individuals.
Here are the 5 key themes or lessons I brought home from the 2010 NSA Annual Convention.
2009 Tour de France Winners: Andy Schleck (2nd), Alberto Contador (1st), Lance Armstrong (3rd)
As an amateur bicyclist for 35+ years, I’ve developed an interest (borderline addiction) to the Tour de France. For me, it started about 10 years ago. At first I was attracted to the great story of Lance Armstrong surviving cancer and continuing to ride. He went on to win 7 straight tours from 1999 to 2005. During those years I started monitoring websites that would give updates every 5 minutes on the progress of the day’s events. Around 2003, the cable channel Versus began broadcasting all the stages in the U.S. on a daily basis; last year when Lance attempted a comeback and I finally had cable TV in my home — my addiction to the action was fully enabled.
While Lance Armstrong is the name most people recognize with the tour, it’s the team that enables Lance or Andy Schleck or Alberto Contador to win the overall race. A team consists of nine riders and each man has his own specialty or purpose. I’ve become fascinated by the strategy involved, and necessity and willingness of the individuals to work together as a team. Is there an opportunity to learn teamwork from a somewhat obscure sport and apply it to business? Have you ever watched a stage of Le Tour de France?
Last November I attended the National Speakers Association (NSA) Fall Conference in Phoenix, AZ. During that conference, I met many outstanding people who are fellow speakers, as well as coaches and trainers. I learned about my own strengths as a keynote speaker, and I also learned where I could personally improve my skills. Years ago I adopted the philosophy that learning is a life long activity; as a speaker, the NSA is the premier university for that pursuit.
This week I’ll attend my first NSA Annual Convention. I met Phil Van Hooser, the president of NSA, at last November’s Fall Conference. He personally welcomed me into the NSA family and encouraged me to become a member. I distinctly remember that Phil compared joining NSA to Fishing Where the Fishermen Fish.
Phil reasoned that if you want to learn to be a good fisherman, the best way to learn is to go where the expert fishermen are already fishing and watch what they do. Where are the good spots on the river that they’re fishing? What type of equipment do they use? What bait are they using? What casting techniques do they use? Why and when? What is their mindset?
This Saturday thru Tuesday I’ll be casting my net at the 2010 NSA Annual Convention learning how to Fish where the Fisherman Fish. Here are a few of my goals while attending and a few examples of the progress made since last November.
Forrest Gump displayed Patience when 'faced' with mud!
Forrest Gump showed patience throughout his life. He displayed it as a little boy and he demonstrated it as a grown man. The examples of his patience are numerous.
What is patience? The dictionary defines patience as bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc., with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like.
Forrest Gump certainly had his fair share of being provoked and experiencing misfortune, delay, hardship, and pain – both physical and emotional. He handled those incidents with fortitude and calm, displaying an even temper and cool composure. He didn’t complain and rarely showed anger.
Are you a patient person? Let’s look at a few examples of how Forrest endured with forbearance, and see how we can learn patience from his model.
Is this a weird coincidence or some sort of strange karma or destiny or fate?
It seems more than ironic that my birthday would be so closely sandwiched between those two dates. For 14+ years I’ve made my living off the movie Forrest Gump. And for 30+ years I’ve been compared physically to the actor Tom Hanks.
The human mind tends to see patterns where none exist. My guess is it’s just a coincidence – albeit weird. But let’s examine the ideas of coincidence, karma, destiny and irony a bit more deeply to see if you agree.
"Forrest" and Bubba Gump Crew at the Taste of MN
This 4th of July holiday weekend I found myself in the Twin Cities for the Taste of Minnesota and a 4th of July parade. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. had a food both at the four-day festival, serving their delicious grilled Shrimp & Sausage skewers and shrimp/mahi Hush Puppies – Yum!
On another positive note, the 4th of July parade was a hugely successful event – Bubba Gump’s participation helped put smiles on faces for more than 20,000 patriotic Americans who turned out to enjoy the 100+ floats and groups. I was proud to be part of this American tradition.
As Americans, most of us have memories and traditions surrounding the July 4th holiday. For some of us it is the recollection of weekends spent with family, enjoying backyards and barbecues. For others we remember the oohhs and aahhs of childhood, watching fireworks and parades. For the patriotic bunch, the holiday is a time for flag waving and truly celebrating our history as Americans, remembering the founding and independence of our country.
In the movie Forrest Gump, there is a memorable scene that occurs on the Fourth of July; one that is powerful and has dramatic implications for both Forrest & Jenny.
Do you remember the scene? the events?
406.396.4611 | steve@speakinggump.com 
Forrest Gump is a fictitious character created in the book Forrest Gump, Winston Groom (1986) and the movie Forrest Gump, Paramount Pictures (1994). Steve Weber has been a Tribute Artist portraying Forrest Gump since 1996. Although Steve Weber has worked for the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. under license as Forrest Gump since 1996, nothing herein is intended to imply sponsorship or affiliation with either Paramount Pictures or Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
